Tuesday, 15 February, 2022 I 13 Rajab, 1443 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XII No 228 I 12 Pages I Lahore Edition
Pakistan seeks iran’s anti-terror efforts against Baloch terrorists g
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Pm for eArly ComPletion of PAk-irAn border mArkets CoAs seeks irAn’s Anti-terror efforts Along border
ISLAMABAD
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Staff CoRReSpondent
AkistAn and iran monday decided to take further practical measures to boost anti-terrorism cooperation along Pak, iran border and form Joint working groups (Jwgs) to help cement bilateral trade and regulate border markets. the development comes as Pakistan strongly raised with iran the use of iranian soil against Pakistan, and assistance, training and funds being provided to baloch terrorists by iranian elements who mount attacks on Pak-
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islAmAbAd, tehrAn Agree to form Jwgs to strengthen bilAterAl ties
istani security forces and take refuge in iran’s bordering areas near balochistan. during high level meetings held here with the visiting iranian interior minister dr Ahmad vahidi, Prime minister imran khan emphasised on early completion and operationalisation of border sustenance markets for economic uplift of people living on both sides of Pakistaniran border. talking to dr vahidi who called on the Pm, imran khan emphasised the importance of close bilateral collaboration to boost trade and regional connectivity. khan expressed satisfaction over positive momentum in brotherly relations between Pak-
istan and iran and said that vast potential exists for enhanced collaboration in diverse fields. underscoring that the Pakistan-iran border is a border of peace and friendship, the prime minister underlined the importance of joint cooperation to address security issues. he thanked the iranian government and the supreme leader for steadfast support for the just resolution of the Jammu and kashmir dispute. the prime minister expressed satisfaction over convergence of views regarding a peaceful and stable Afghanistan and underscored the importance of close coordination between the two countries. he stressed the need for urgent actions by the international community to prevent humanitarian crisis and economic meltdown in Afghanistan and measures to enhance practical engagement, strengthen stability, and counter terrorism. the iranian interior minister conveyed cordial greetings of iranian leadership to the prime minister and reaffirmed iran’s desire to strengthen bilateral relations in all aspects. CoAs urges efforts denying space or action by miscreants along Pakistan-iran border meanwhile, Chief of Army staff (CoAs) general Qamar Javed bajwa has stressed upon the need to put in collective efforts to deny any space or liberty of action to be exploited by miscreants along the Pakistaniran border. the army chief said this while talking to iranian interior minister Ahmad vahidi who along with a delegation visited general headquarters (ghQ), said the inter-services Public relations (isPr) in a statement on monday.
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COAS calls on PM Khan, President Alvi g
Army Chief vows erAdiCAting extremist elements from Country ISLAMABAD Staff R epo Rt
Chief of Army staff (CoAs) general Qamar Javed bajwa called on Prime minister imran khan on monday and discussed with him the matters of mutual interest. later, the army chief also met with President dr Arif Alvi separately. An official statement said that professional matters pertaining to Pakistan Army were discussed during the meeting. during his call on President Alvi, general Qamar bajwa vowed eradicating extremist elements from the countr y. the civil-militar y leadership’s meeting took place at the President house, according to a statement, where the CoAs briefed President Alvi on the operation against terrorists and the security force’s professional readiness. the president paid a tribute to security officials who sacrificed their lives while carr ying out operations in newly-merged districts of balochistan and khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to a statement by the President house’s. “the nation is proud of the armed forces’ sacrifices […] despite all the troubles, the security forces have defended the countr y ’s borders,” President Alvi said during the meeting.
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Tuesday, 15 February, 2022 | LAHORe
news
Bhand tribesmen refuse to end Nawabshah sit-in until murder suspects’ arrest KARACHI Staff RepoRt
Grieving members of Bhand tribe, who have blockaded the N-305 Highway with the bodies of slain tribesmen since Saturday, refused on Monday to bury the victims and end the protest until the arrest of members of the Zardari clan who reportedly killed them in an attack over the weekend. Mirzapur police station Station House Officer (SHO) Abdul Hameed Khoso and five Bhand tribesmen were shot dead and 10 others were injured in the attack, which was an offshoot of a dispute over possession of 800 acres of farmland near Nawab Wali Muhammad town of Nawabshah district. The leaders demanded the registration of murder cases against the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) lawmaker Haji Ali Hassan Zardari, Mohsin Zardari, Abid Zardari, Shahzado Zardari, Saleh Zardari and Muharram Memon, among others. They also demanded the recovery of Ghulam Haider Bhand and Mahmood Mahar whose whereabouts had remained unknown and said that possession of the land should be handed over to them (Bhand) failing which the bodies would not be buried. The protestors have set up a camp in the middle of the highway, resulting in the closure of the road. The traffic is being diverted to the Indus Highway, the police said. A large number of political and social personalities have joined the protest led by Sindh United Party (SUP) Secretary General Syed Zain Shah. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ameer Saud Magsi reached the camp and held negotiations with the protesters. He also vowed to provide justice to the clan and assured them that their legitimate demands would be met. Shah, the secretary general, said similar protests would be staged across Sindh on Monday to press for the immediate arrest of the culprits, and if the demands were not met, a shutdown strike would be observed on Tuesday.
Jaffar Magsi wins Cholistan jeep rally
SPARC uRgeS govt to exPedite iMPleMeNtAtioN of HeAltH levy oN toBACCo PRoduCtS
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SHAHzAD PARACHA
OCIETy for Protection of Rights of the Child (SPARC) in an online briefing urged Prime Imran Khan to take notice of delay in the imposition of health levy on tobacco products. Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, Country Head Malik Imran Ahmed
shared that the federal cabinet in June 2019 decided to implement a healthy levy on tobacco products. This decision was made to protect the health of low income groups and children by taking tobacco products out of their spending reach. Unfortunately, some key members of the government have repeatedly blocked this move because for them a flourishing tobacco industry is more important than
public health, Imran claimed. Imran Ahmed said that tobacco consumption costs the country Rs615 billion health burden due to tobaccorelated diseases and lost productivity whereas in comparison, the revenue generated from tobacco taxation is only Rs115 billion. Cigarette taxation in Pakistan is among the weakest in the world, and
according to the World Health Organization, Pakistan should increase prices of cigarettes to at least Rupees 30 per packet to reduce consumption and health costs. Program Manager, SPARC Khalil Ahmed urged the Prime Minister to intervene in this matter because this move can save 170,000 precious lives which are lost, each year, due to tobaccorelated diseases.
sC turns down KP request to put off second phase of local govt polls ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt
The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a Khyber Pakhtunkhwa petition seeking to postpone the second phase of local government elections scheduled to be held on March 31, refusing to interfere in the working of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) which it said would set a bad precedent. During the hearing, Justice Ijaz ulAhsan remarked there was no incentive
for the apex court to interfere in the elections process. It was the jurisdiction of, and therefore up to, the ECP to decide to hold or put off the elections on the said date, he added. While rejecting the petition, the Supreme Court ordered the ECP to listen to the position of all stakeholders including the provincial government and decide accordingly. Justice Ahsan said: “For personal interests, they should not shatter people’s confidence in state institutions.” A counsel for the ECP told the court
the KP government itself gave the March 25 date for the holding of polls and it was not even a party to the case pending with the Peshawar High Court (PHC). On this, the judge observed that now the provincial government itself was requesting to change the schedule. “The KP government says that it will hold the election after Ramadan. Tomorrow, it will say it will conduct it after Eid ul-Fitr. After that, it will say Eid ul-Adha is approaching. Then Muharram will arrive and so on. It means the polls
will never be held,” he added. Justice Ahsan said since the ECP released the election schedule for March 31, the court would not give any order against its decision. “The second phase of the polls will be held on March 31,” the judge pronounced, adding if the ECP wanted, it could postpone the election. With this, the court said that after the new ECP schedule, all appeals had become ineffective and rejected the petition to halt the elections.
Police arrest six more in murder of blasphemy accused LAHORE Staff RepoRt
LAHORE app
Mir Jaffer Magsi won the 17th International Cholistan Desert Rally by completing the 221-kilometre-long track in four hours, 10 minutes and fifty-one seconds (410-51), while his uncle and 2021 champion Nadir Magsi stood second by covering the distance in four hours, eleven minutes and 13 seconds (4-11-13). Another racer, Asif Fazal, retained the third spot in the Prepared category by covering the distance in four hours, 15 minutes and 56 seconds (4-15-56). In the Prepared (Category-B) race, Asad Hassan Khan remained first while Chaudhry Saud Majeed was runner up. Hamal Poot won the Category-C race and Chaudhry Mahmood Majeed trailed. The Category-D race was won by Zafar Khan Baloch. Among women racers, Zulekha Niazi won the Prepared race while Jameela Asif remained second. In the Stock category race (women), Nida Wasti got the first position and Palwasha Khan was the runner-up. In the men’s category, Mir Nawaz Dasti, Sultan Bahadur Aziz, Daud Abbasi, and Shakeel Ahmad won in categories A, B, C, and D respectively.
The police arrested six more people suspected to be involved in the killing of a middle-aged man for allegedly desecrating the Quran inside a mosque in Khanewal. With the latest arrests, the number of primary suspects in custody has risen to 21, while a total of 102 people have been arrested so far and are being interrogated, a spokesperson for Punjab police said in a statement Monday. An enraged mob stoned to death Mushtaq Ahmed, 41, in a remote village of Khanewal district. Three police officers also were injured, and more than 80 men have been detained. The mosque’s custodian said he saw the man burning
the holy book and told others before informing the police, according to police spokesman Chaudhry Imran. The violence took place Saturday evening. Imran said police rushed to the mosque and found the man surrounded by an angry crowd. Sub-Inspector Mohammad Iqbal and two subordinates tried to take custody of the man but the group began throwing stones at them, seriously injuring Iqbal and slightly injuring the other two officers. Munawar Gujjar, chief of Tulamba police station, said he rushed reinforcements to the mosque but they did not arrive before the mob had stoned to death the man and hung his body from a tree. Gujjar said the victim belonged to a nearby village. “The ill-fated man has been mentally unstable for the last 15 years and according to his family often went missing from home for days begging and eating whatever he could find,” he said. He said the body was handed to the family. Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed his anguish over the stoning and said he was seeking a report from Punjab’s chief minister on the police handling of the case. He said they “failed in their duty.” “We have zero tolerance for anyone taking the law into their own hands and mob lynching will be dealt with with the full severity of the law,” he said in a tweet hours after the incident. The killing comes months after the lynching of a Sri Lankan manager of a sporting goods factory in Sialkot on December 3 who was accused by workers of blasphemy.
SHC acquits four MQM activists in Rangers picket attack case KARACHI Staff RepoRt
Sindh High Court (SHC) Monday accepted the acquittal requests of four Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) workers who were sentenced in a case pertaining to an attack on a Rangers picket in a Karachi neighbourhood. The accused were sentenced by an anti-terrorism court in April 2019. Two were handed 29 years to prison each while the rest had been sentenced to 15 years each. Zaman Town police station registered the case against the accused in 2016 at Rangers request.
Public won’t forgive Sharif and company for exchequer looting: Fawad ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt
Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry Monday said the public would never forgive “Nawaz Sharif and company” for looting the wealth and destroying the economy. “The country cannot be handed over to those who destroyed the economy in the first instance. The people will not forgive the Sharif family until they return the plundered national wealth,” he said while expressing views on political matters including the meetings of Shehbaz Sharif and Maulana Fazl ur-Rehman at a public gathering. He said the opposition had no stature of its own, and PPP chief Bilawal BhuttoZardari could not gather even a few hundred people from Jhelum and Pind Dadan Khan that was why he was using children of seminaries for politics through Fazl.
“I ask Bilawal not to do politics of Zardari, he should do politics of Benazir Bhutto and his grandfather.” He said Fazl and Shehbaz were wandering from pillar to post to protect their politics of loot and plunder, but it was the leadership of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government that exposed their real face to the public. He said Prime Minister Imran Khan had been saying from day one that all the corrupt people would get united against his government when they would be brought to justice, “and now, all the corrupt elements are in fact uniting against the prime minister”. Fawad said Sharif and his son had been residing in London for the last many years and questioned who was bearing expenses of their apartments, buildings and vehicles. The minister said the PTI government had not any personal dispute with the opposition as it just wanted to recover the looted national
wealth. He said Sharif and former finance minister Ishaq Dar were sitting abroad and they had no courage to face courts in Pakistan. He said Sharif made a luxury property in front of Hyde Park in London, besides billions of rupees were transferred to Shehbaz from fake accounts. “They have looted the people, workers and businessmen of Pakistan.” Fawad said the PTI government fulfilled the promises it made to the people of this constituency, regretting that Pind Dadan Khan Tehsil had been kept deprived of development for 70 years. When the PTI government came to power in 2018, it started everything afresh as there were no facilities like streets, roads, drinking water, education and health in the area. In the Jhelum district, there were only 47 doctors, but now around 800 doctors and paramedics were available there to extend health services to the public, he recalled.
He said the PTI government filled the shortage of teachers in schools, opened passport and EOBI (Employees Old-Age Benefits Institution) offices in Pind Dadan Khan. The minister said he had suggested the people of the area elect such a representative who has the stature and ability to work for the uplift of the locality. He said it was unfortunate the whole stature-less opposition was trying to muster the support of others to protect their politics and corrupt practices. “One should not choose a man who cannot elevate his stature and sits on the shoulders of others, thinking that he has risen tall.” “Bilawal thinks that the children of Madressahs, arranged by Maulana Fazl, will come and raise his stature.” He said the public support could not be won just by slogans and speeches; adding the development work and welfare-oriented
schemes were a must for that. The minister said the opposition made at least seven attempts to destabilize the PTI government, but it always failed. Today, he said, Prime Minister Khan elevated the image of Pakistan among the comity of the nations due to his bold and courageous leadership, “and the world listens to the PM attentively.” He said now Khan would visit Russia, and it was happening after 23 years that a sitting prime minister of Pakistan would be visiting that nation. Fawad said Khan had become the voice of Ummah as he effectively raised the issues of blasphemy and Islamophobia, which were hurting the sentiments of Muslims, at international forums including the United Nations. He said the world leaders including Russia President Vladimir Putin endorsed the stance of Prime Minister Khan on the highlighted issues.
Tuesday, 15 February, 2022 | LAHORe
govt increases financial assistance under ehsaas to Rs13,000
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GHuLAM ABBAS
HE federal government has enhanced Ehsaas financial assistance for the poor to Rs13,000 from Rs12,000, due to the rising commodity prices. This Rs1000 increase will be provided to beneficiaries from Feb 1, 2022. It was ratified by the federal
cabinet in June last year to benefit all Ehsaas Kafaalat beneficiaries. Ehsaas Kafaalat is an unconditional cash transfer programme that includes cash stipends for 8 million poorest women across all districts of the country. “With the recent raise in Kafaalat stipend amount, all eligible beneficiaries of Kafaalat will now get
Rs13,000 as a six-monthly stipend amount. No agent of partnering banks will be allowed to illegally deduct any money from payment to deserving families”, said Dr. Sania. “A stern action will be taken against agents involved in illegal deductions. They will be dealt with strictly according to the law, ” she said.
She also urged beneficiaries to collect full payment of Rs13,000 from the agents along with the computerized payment receipt at the time of Kafaalat cash disbursement. Eligible beneficiaries can access payment at biometric ATMs, designated retail shops and specialized campsites of partnering banks countrywide.
Germany to assist Pakistan in social sector, Start-Up Pakistan Programme SHAHzAD PARACHA
KP to reopen 1,800 closed poultry farms AzIz BunERI The Directorate of Livestock & Dairy Development has decided to reopen 1,800 closed poultry farms in collaboration with the private sector. Currently, 1,800 poultry farms are closed in the province due to volatile poultry prices and hike in feed price.The closed farms include 1,700 open shed farms. Livestock Extension Director General Dr Alamzeb said that the KP government will launch a joint venture with the farm owners to reactivate the closed farms. He informed that the provincial government has allocated Rs1 billion for the project which will be completed in three years. According to Dr Alamzeb not only the farm owners but also the general public faces its impact in the shape of a hike in poultry products. He added that there are 250 poultry sheds with capacity of up to five thousand broiler chickens. The government will provide financial assistance to farm owners to restart the closed farms. He informed that only those farms will be provided support that are registered with the provincial livestock department.
NAB seeks action against illegal housing schemes in KP AzIz BunERI The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has urged the Local Government Department to take action against illegal housing schemes in Peshawar. After the NAB direction, the KP Local Government Department has sent a letter to Peshawar’s town administration asking for full action against illegal housing schemes. Similarly, the LG department directed to register cases against the owners and management of housing schemes for deceiving the public. Before this, some 200 illegal housing schemes were identified and banned in the provincial capital, Peshawar. However, the operation against such schemes has been slow, therefore, the National Accountability Bureau has urged to relaunch operations. According to the Local Government Department, a detailed report will be sent to the NAB in this regard. In light of KP government’s directives, all types of transfers and registries were banned in 181 illegal residential colonies in Peshawar last year. The government sources said that Illegal societies have devoured some 70 per cent of fertile agricultural land in KP which is a clear violation of Supreme Court of Pakistan judgments. Similarly, documents from the Peshawar Development Authority last year revealed that there were more than 150 illegal housing societies in Peshawar that had been set up without approval or NOC.
Germany will provide assistance to Pakistan for the social sector including Education & Health, Green Energy, Urban Infrastructure, Digital Governance and Start-Up Pakistan Programme. The Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation & Development, State Secretary Jochen Flasbarth shared this during a meeting with Economic Affairs, Federal Minister Omar Ayub Khan on Monday. As per the information, the Economic Affairs Minister Omer Ayub appreciated the German’s enhanced bilateral economic cooperation with Pakistan. The Minister expressed that Pakistan and Germany are long-standing development partners. Germany has provided 3.8 billion euros as technical and financial assistance for socioeconomic development in Pakistan since 1961. At present, Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) is providing 147.5 million euro for Vocational Training, Health, Social Protection and Renewable Energy. The Credit for Reconstruction Bank (KfW) has also committed 301 million euro for various development projects including Renewable Energy, Health, Urban Infrastructure and Climate Change. The Minister for Economic Affairs updated the German delegation about the ongoing policy reforms & initiatives and development priorities of the government which include a stronger focus on climate change, green energy, agriculture, regional connectivity and information communication technologies. The Minister also informed that there is a need to focus on Vocational and Technical Education
in the country. In this regard, a proposal for establishing a state-ofthe-art Technical Training University in Gilgit-Baltistan is under consideration. The Minister stressed on improving road and digital connectivity across the country to facilitate safe travel, farm to market access and e-services. State Secretary Jochen Flasbarth expressed satisfaction at the trajectory of bilateral cooperation in different areas and discussed the ways to further enhance the bilateral technical and financial cooperation. It was highlighted that Germany will provide further assistance for the social sector including Education & Health, Green Energy, Urban Infrastructure, Digital Governance and Start-Up Pakistan Programme. Both sides also exchanged views on increasing the cost effectiveness of development assistance initiatives and the measures to enhance cooperation with the private sector including export competitiveness through technical and financial assistance.
The rap star of Lyari: ‘My veil cannot take away the talent I have’ KARACHI NewS DeSk
Her phone has been buzzing with non-stop messages and calls. Eva B, once a little-known rapper from Lyari, has become Pakistan’s newest music sensation, racking up millions of views on youTube. She is not just the first female rapper from Pakistan, she is the first veil-wearing female rapper of Baloch ethnicity. She says her brother had told her if she wanted to rap she had to wear a veil, but that it is now a part of her identity and personality as a musician. “I don’t feel comfortable or can’t perform well if I don’t wear it. The veil just covers my face; it cannot cover or take away the talent I have.” Her big break came when the 22-year-old was playing with her phone and took a call from the music producer for Coke Studio, a webcast that since 2008 has showcased the nation’s biggest musical stars. “Since I didn’t get as many calls as I get now, I picked it up,” chuckles Eva B, in the first interview she has agreed to since that call. “He introduced himself and asked me if I would like to sing for the franchise — I said who does not want to work with Coke Studio?” Soon after came the track Kana yaari, which became the top trending youTube video in Pakistan, with 3.2 million views by the third day of its release. Writing in Urdu and Balochi, the young rapper, who says her name comes from Eve, the first woman, and B for Baloch, touches on a plethora of problems facing society. Her songs include Qalam Bolega (The Pen Shall Speak) and Tera Jism Meri Marzi (your Body, My Rights). Eva B’s musical journey began when she got a computer with a folder of songs by Eminem. Not knowing what genre she was listening to, a young Eva B loved the style and rhythm of the music. Curious, she asked people what this amazing style of music was called. “It is rap, and you have to write your lyrics and sing,” she was told. Teaching herself the basics through the internet, Eva B started rapping in 2014. “Through my rap I wanted people to hear my story and the story of women in Lyari. I come from a place where only a few girls got to work and my society
doesn’t consider a girl who raps to be respectable — I wanted to challenge that,” says Eva B, while playing with a tattoo on her right hand that reads “mother”. Her mother was supportive but her brother asked her not to rap, saying it was not appropriate. She said his friends would tease him about his sister being a rapper and every time she uploaded a freestyle rap song to her youTube channel, fights would erupt in their house. “Neighbours would come and listen as my brother scolded and fought me,” she says. As a consequence of her brother’s disapproval, Eva B stopped performing rap from 2015 to 2019. But she kept writing new songs. “I was burning inside and writing about societal restrictions on girls, on Lyari and more,” she says. In 2019, she was approached by Patari, Pakistan’s largest Pakistani music streaming platform, to write and perform a song. She did not have musical or audio equipment so she recorded it using her mobile phone. Overnight, she started being known as “Gully Girl”, named after that track — a retelling of the 2019 Bollywood film Gully Boy, about a boy from a ghetto in Mumbai who dreams of making it big in rap. But Eva B had to go through a lot of hardships before her time was to come. “I would have to lie to my brother if I had to go for recordings. I would say I was going to university. Even when I had to rehearse for Kana yaari in Coke Studio, I lied back home about having to attend a friend’s wedding. I would ask everyone to schedule me before nightfall so I could make an excuse at home more easily,” she says. After recent success, however, her brother no longer disapproves. Lyari, with a young population of 2.2 million, is best known to the outside world for its violence, gangsters and drugs. Over the course of a decade, hundreds of people were killed and thousands left the town; peace returned in 2017 after police operations. She says Lyari is also famous for its footballers, artists and musicians but “the violence had become our identity, sadly”. Women in Lyari or across the country, she says, are talented but many consider themselves inferior and dependent upon their male counterparts, their identity restricted to being someone’s daughter, sister or wife, with their every move scrutinised.
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fazl meets Jahangir tareen, seeks support for no trust move LAHORE NewS DeSk
Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman reportedly held a quiet meeting with ruling PTI’s estranged leader Jahangir Khan Tareen and sought his support for no confidence move by joint opposition. The meeting between the two leaders took place after JUI chief Fazl met PML-Q’s Chaudhry brothers, sources said. According to reports, some mutual friends arranged a meeting between Fazl and Tareen as the former sought help from PTI’s estranged leader to help topple Imran Khan’s government. However, speaking during programme “Capital Talk”, JUI leader Akram Khan Durrani refuted the reports of the meeting, but added that Fazl and Tareen “might meet in future.” Earlier, sources had told media that PTI’s disgruntled Tareen group will soon call an official meeting of its members as the preliminary round of contacts within the group has completed. Sources within the Tareen’s group said after meetings with the PML-N leaders, efforts to develop connections between the disgruntled PTI group and PML-Q leaders are underway. Some “mutual friends” are trying to bring the two groups closer and the Tareen group will launch its political activities in full spirit from next week, the sources said. Sources revealed that the Tareen group will not steer clear of the political scene. Instead, it will play its “full role in national politics and it has already started informal meetings.” The development comes in wake of efforts underway to gain a majority against the incumbent PTI-led government. Last week, the PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman announced that the Opposition alliance has unanimously decided to move a no-confidence motion against the PTI government. Fazl had said that all Opposition parties that were present during the meeting had decided unanimously that this “illegal government should be sent packing”. “We will first do our homework, so we cannot talk about a definite timeframe for this move,” he said, adding that the government’s allied parties should keep the plight of the masses in their mind and make a decision accordingly.
Remittances at record high for current fiscal year despite decline during January 2022 zunAIRAH QuRESHI Pakistan’s remittances during the first seven months of Fy22 reached a record high of $18 billion, which is a 9.1 per cent increase compared to the remittances received in the same period of last year. Remittances have maintained the record high level, despite a 15 per cent decrease during January 2022 compared to December 2021. Total remittances during January 2022 were recorded at $2 billion. The decline in remittances received in January 2022, is mainly due to reduced income inflows from the Middleeast, European Union, and USA. Moreover, remittances received in January 2022 were also 5 per cent lower compared to remittances received in January 2021. Some analysts correlate the decline in remittances to the recent easing of travel restrictions, which is likely to have resulted in more expats traveling to Pakistan instead of wiring money. Director Research Pak-Kuwait Investment Company, Sami Tariq, explained that the remittances were previously higher because, ‘During the previous months physical travel was limited. In the last month, physical travel to UAE and Saudi Arabia has gained traction which has enabled overseas Pakistanis to bring physical dollars and has reduced dollar inflow in the banking system.’ He also cited anti-money laundering efforts by the government as one reason. On the other hand, while Pakistan’s remittances declined by 15% in January 2022 compared to December 2021, Bangladesh experienced a 5 per cent increase during the same period with its January 2022 remittances standing at $1.7billion. The larger part of remittances coming into Pakistan are from the Gulf countries, among which Saudi Arabia, and then the United Arab of Emirates have the highest shares. This trend was upheld as remittance inflows during January 2022 were mainly sourced from Saudi Arabia ($540 million), United Arab Emirates ($374 million), United Kingdom ($320 million) and United States of America ($208 million). So, what significance do remittances hold for Pakistan and how does it contribute to the economy? Remittances are recorded as the transfer of income from Pakistani migrants living abroad to locally-held accounts and short-term employee income transfers (personal remittances). Remittances make up a considerable part of Pakistan’s economy as it adds to the foreign exchange reserve and lowers the current account deficit. For these reasons, the current government and the SBP have been invested in trying to promote overseas remittances. This includes initiatives taken to incentivise remittances inflow by authorising banks to allow transactions through foreign correspondence entities, promising paid incentives for mobile wallet use for transaction of remittances, incentives for banks to achieve the target for bringing in 15 per cent more remittances than the previous year, and others.
Tuesday, 15 February, 2022 | LAHORE
04 NEWS
sc acquits accused in murder case after 13 years NEws DEsk The Supreme Court on Monday acquitted the main accused, rafaqat Ali, in the murder case of Mirza Mubashir Baig after 13 years. A three-member bench headed by Justice Sardar Tariq Masood heard the case pertaining to Ali, who was arrested in 2009 on murder charges, along with two other co-accused. During the hearing, his lawyer Ayesha Tasneem informed the bench that a trial court has acquitted the two co-accused. “There are no witnesses to the murder,” she said. The court maintained that “the main accused cannot be convicted on evidence on which the co-accused were acquitted.” It is pertinent to note that the SC acquitted Ali based on lack of evidence.
Pakistan witnesses significant drop in coVId-19 daily death count NEws DEsk Pakistan reported a major drop in the daily COVID19 death count after over a 10-day hike, the National Command and Operation Centre’s (NCOC) data showed Monday morning. The latest NCOC stats suggested that 29 more people succumbed to coronavirus overnight, taking the countrywide death count to 29,801. Meanwhile, the country’s COVID-19 positivity ratio saw a slight decline as it dropped to 5.62% after the detection of 2,662 new infections, with 47,307 diagnostic tests conducted during the last 24 hours. The overall cases reached 1,486,361 with the new cases, while the active case count fell to 76,639 as 4,293 coronavirus patients recovered overnight. Despite an irregular graph of the deaths and fresh cases, the number of COVID-19 recuperation cases has witnessed a steady rise, which took the total recoveries count to 1,379,921. It is pertinent to note that last week, Prime Minister Imran Khan was informed that after February 10, the number of positive coronavirus cases has decreased by 6.8% while hospital admissions and patients needing intensive care has also declined, his office said. The PM was provided details of the latest figures while receiving a briefing on the anti-coronavirus measures taken by the government. The PM was briefed about the Omicron wave in the country as well as its spread globally. According to the PM Office, the officials were told that the Omicron’s highest point was in January when the country was reporting over 5,000 almost on a daily basis. The premier was also given an update on the progress made in vaccinating citizens against coronavirus. The meeting was informed that out of 150 million population over 12 years of age, 90 million (58%) people have been fully vaccinated so far, and by March 2022, this number will increase to 110 million (72%). The PM office also shared that 115 million (72%) people have received a single dose, which will increase to 130 million (85%) by March 2022.
FArruKh hAbIb sAys ‘certAIn quArters’ Are sPreAdIng FAKe news About bushrA bIbI
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NEws DEsk
INISTEr of State for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib on Monday stated that “certain quarters” are spreading “fake stories” about First Lady Bushra Bibi and warned them to stay away from “cheap tactics such as dragging an apolitical woman into politics”. It is pertinent to note that the minister’s remarks come after a report which suggested that the first lady was currently living at a friend’s place in Lahore after developing differences with PM Imran Khan surfaced in media. Although the report did not name the premier or his wife, it triggered a trend on Twitter today, prompting social media users to speculate about the premier’s personal life. “Trouble seems to be brewing on the home front. It’s no secret that Her Holiness has bolted. She’s said to be sulking in Lahore, at the home of a
friend, also known as the Front Woman … Our mole says there have been more than a few flaming rows on various issues,” reads an excerpt from the report. In an interaction with journalists in Islamabad today, Habib said the government was well aware of certain elements spreading frivolous stories, which had no factual or moral grounds, about the premier’s wife. The first lady has no connection to politics at all, the minister said. “These are the same people who had once indulged in the character assassination of Shaheed Bibi (late former prime minister Benazir Bhutto),” he said. Without naming anyone, Habib asked those behind such stories to “refrain from dragging a domestic woman into politics for your ill ambitions”. A day after the report was published on Friday, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Political Communication Dr Shahbaz Gill had also dispelled the impression that the first
lady was living in another city and confirmed she was with the prime minister in Islamabad. He clarified in a tweet that Bushra Bibi visited Lahore just for a week in the past year and “has not been to the city for the last few months”. He rejected the news item as baseless and said those spreading fake news will face legal action.
IHC says ‘govt officials, NAB answerable to the people’ NEws DEsk The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday, during a hearing of contempt petition against the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) chief, stated that every public office holder, including the NAB, is answerable to the the nation. A two-member bench headed by IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah heard the petition against the NAB chairman over his failure to take action against former military ruler Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf in assets beyond known sources of income case. The NAB stated that it has submitted documents and written to MLAs abroad for further details of the overseas properties and accounts, and is awaiting a response. During today’s proceedings, the bureau filed a response to the corruption inquiry against Musharraf in the court, in which it stated that it has obtained records of all the accounts and assets of the former president and his family. These include two properties abroad and two foreign accounts. NAB further maintained that in the light of court orders, an inquiry was initiated against Musharraf in March 2018. The former president was included in the investigation and interrogated accordingly, therefore, the NAB chairman has not committed any contempt of court. “The contempt of court petition against him [NAB chief] should be rejected with damages. Intelligence has been requested from the Financial Monitoring Unit regarding the suspicious assets of Pervez Musharraf and reports of suspicious transactions have also been sought,” the report added. Chief Justice Athar Minallah said that the NAB
has a responsibility to dispel the impression that only elected representatives are held accountable and as a public office holder, Musharraf’s case was a test for the bureau. “The NAB is responsible to restore people’s confidence in it,” Justice Minallah said. As per the details, the IHC CJ also inquired about the timeline within which Musharraf’s case would be completed. The NAB prosecutor, Jahanzeb Bharwana, informed the court that the report would be submitted within a month as an inquiry – looking into a total of 29 properties belonging to Musharraf – was underway. “If the case was pertaining to a politician, a joint investigation team would have been formed by now,” said the petitioner’s counsel, claiming that the NAB prosecutor’s reply is an acceptance of delay from their end. To this, the chief justice remarked that the court will not interfere with NAB’s investigation. “Pervez Musharraf is not a general but a politician. We will not allow political speech here [in court],” he said. Justice Minallah maintained that every public office holder is answerable to the people, including the NAB, emphasising that it is the duty of the bureau to ensure that all individuals are equal in the eyes of the law. Meanwhile, the court directed NAB to complete the inquiry within a month. Bharwana, while talking to the media after the hearing, said that the proceedings against Pervez Musharraf have been undertaken. replying to a query if the inquiry over Musharraf’s assets would be completed within a month, the NAB prosecutor said that “we have only told the court about MLAs replies being sought within a month not about completing the inquiry.”
“We are already contesting a case against [senior journalist] Najam Sethi for sharing fabricated news about the prime minister and his wife,” the PM’s aide said. Without naming anyone, Gill said: “You can do politics and journalism, but propagating fake news about family members who are not in politics will be dealt with in a court of law.”
FIA arrests journalist for running ‘cheap trends’ against PM Imran Khan LAHORE News Desk
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Monday arrested a journalist for running trends against the prime minister on social media, Geo News reported. A case has been registered against the accused named Sabir Hashmi after the FIA Cyber Crime Wing conducted an operation in Lahore’s Model Town area. According to the FIA, Sabir was accused of running an “indecent” trend against PM Imran Khan. The agency has seized Hashmi’s mobile phone and other belongings. Earlier, Prime Minister Imran Khan chaired a meeting of the party’s Central Executive Committee (CEC), during which he expressed displeasure over the indecent trend that consisted of personal attacks. Condemning the act, the premier called it “cheap and intolerable”, adding that “such elements cannot be left unchecked and their actions have to be condemned.” On the other hand, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Political Communication Shahbaz Gill on Sunday had said that the government has approached the country’s courts against a journalist who issued “insulting and fabricated” statements about First Lady Bushra Bibi. The SAPM said that “strict legal action will be taken against those who spread false news about the first lady.” A day ago, a journalist had claimed that Bushra Bibi had “gotten into a fight with PM Imran Khan” and had left Bani Gala for Lahore to stay at her friend, Farah Khan’s house.
Pakistan diplomat recalls Soviet pullout from Afghanistan ANADOLu AgENcy A veteran Pakistani diplomat who remained part of the landmark Geneva Accords that subsequently led to the pullout of now-defunct USSr troops from neighboring Afghanistan in 1989, reminisces about historic events. On the occasion of the 33rd anniversary of the Soviet pullout on Feb. 15, former Foreign Secretary riaz Mohammad Khan, who was part of Pakistan’s negotiating team as a young diplomat, offers a witness account of events that preceded the end of a decade-long foreign invasion of Afghanistan. Inked April 14, 1988, at the UN’s Geneva headquarters between Pakistan and Afghanistan with the USSr and the US as guarantors, the accords stated provisions for the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghan soil. It, however, triggered a bloody civil war, between a demoralized Afghan army and the Mujahideen, and subsequently between several militias, following the hurried pullout without putting up a future governance structure in Kabul. Also in Pakistan, the accords created a chain reaction and led to the removal of the Mohammad Khan Junejo government in May 1988 by military ruler Gen. Zia-ul-Haq, who was not happy with the signing of the agreement by his hand-picked prime minister. In an interview with Anadolu Agency, Khan, who was the only delegate from the Pakistan side who participated in all
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the rounds of the Geneva negotiations from 1982 to 1988, shed light on similarities and dissimilarities between the USSr and the US pullouts from Afghanistan. “There are more dissimilarities than similarities,” said Khan, who served as Foreign Secretary from 2005 to 2008. “Yes, both gave in after lingering wars. On both occasions, if the goal was to defeat the insurgency or resistance then both failed. However, the Najibullah government and the PDPA (People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan) army proved to be more stubborn and survivable than the Ashraf Ghani government and the Afghan National Army,“ he said. Enumerating the dissimilarities, he argued that the Najib government survived three years and fell apart only after the disintegration of the Soviet Union. “It (even) withstood the siege of Jalalabad, “ he said, referring to the famous but failed siege of Jalalabad, the capital of northeastern Nangarhar province, in 1989 by the Mujahideen. Citing another difference, Khan said after the US withdrawal one party, the Taliban, have emerged victorious and the transition was more or less smooth. Whereas, he added, after the Soviet withdrawal the conflict continued to simmer in a stalemate and following the exit of Najibullah, the two major Mujahedin factions, Ahmed Shah Masood and Gulbadin, fought for Kabul while associates of Najibullah chose
either of the two sides. Pullout without a credible Power structure: According to records that were later released, Mikhail Gorbachev, the eighth and final leader of the Soviet Union, had informed Najibullah about Moscow’s decision to withdraw almost two years ahead of time in mid-1986, he said. He said Pakistan was interested in a Soviet withdrawal because historically it saw a pattern in Moscow’s interventions that “if it consolidated its position in one country after some time pressure came on the next.” ‘Next to afghaNistaN was PakistaN’: Khan, the author of two best-sellers on Afghanistan, Untying the Afghan Knot and Afghanistan and Pakistan: Conflict, Extremism and resistance to Modernity, said that Islamabad had insisted on putting up a “stable and reasonably acceptable” government in Kabul before the Soviet pullout, which unfortunately could not happen. “We did insist in the pre-Geneva exchanges that the agenda should include the formation of a broadbased government of national reconciliation. But the UN Secretary General could not agree to it because the UN could only deal with the government represented at the UN,” he said. adding that Islamabad did not have the votes in the UN to dislodge the Kabul government for keeping Afghanistan’s seat vacant.
Tuesday, 15 February, 2022 | LAHORE
NEWS
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Three years On, MOdI gOvT yeT TO answer serIOus quesTIOns On PuLwaMa aTTack isLAmABAd
IgP eulogize services of retired cops isLAmABAd PreSS releaSe
Inspector General of Police (IGP) Islamabad, Muhammad Ahsan Younus Monday eulogized services of retired policemen which performed their due role in maintaining law and order in the federal capital. A ceremony was organized here in honor of 183 retired personnel, attended by senior police officers, and a large number of Jawans. Speaking at the occasion, the IGP said the entire department was proud of their retired officers which had served the department more than 40 years. The contribution of policemen for rule of law and saving lives and properties of citizens would always be remembered, he added. The capital police chief distributed honorary shields and certificates of appreciation among the police officers. He said every personnel should learn from experience of retired personnel and serve the department in best way. He said If any retired officer wants to take part in policing activities, he will be welcomed. IGP Islamabad directed SSP Headquarters to form a WhatsApp group of all retired police officers to resolve their issues on priority. He directed for the formulation of a committee to address the issues of police pensioners. He extended well wishes to the outgoing officers and wish them best of luck in future endeavors.
Pakistan seeks Iran’s anti-terror efforts against Baloch terrorists along border COntinuEd fROm PAgE 01 According to the ISPR, geo-strategic environment, particularly regional security situation and bilateral cooperation in defence and security domains, were discussed during the meeting. Pakistan-Iran border security mechanism including border markets also came under discussion, added the military’s media wing. The COAS said that enhanced cooperation between the two brotherly neighbours is vital for peace and stability in the region. Terming the Pakistan-Iran border as a border of peace and friendship, the COAS highlighted the need to put in collective efforts to deny any space or liberty of action to be exploited by miscreants along the border . The visiting dignitary, while acknowledging stability in Afghanistan as collective regional responsibility, appreciated Pakistan’s efforts for peace and stability, particularly humanitarian assistance being rendered to mitigate challenges faced by people of Afghanistan. Pak, Iran to form JWGs to cement bilateral ties Earlier in the day, Pakistan and Iran agreed to form Joint working groups (JWGs) to strengthen bilateral relations. The understanding was reached in a joint declaration issued after the meeting of a nine-member visiting Iranian delegation led by Interior Minister Dr. Ahmad Vahidi with Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed. The two sides agreed to set up markets on Pakistan-Iran borders and increase the number of border terminals. The two sides also exchanged views on completing fencing work on the Pakistan-Iran border at the earliest. It was agreed that the territory of Pakistan and Iran should not be used for terrorist activities against each other. The meeting also discussed the regional security situation, looming humanitarian catastrophe in Afghanistan and other important issues. It also discussed prisoner exchanges and facilitating pilgrims. Ways to prevent illegal human immigration and drug trafficking were also discussed during the meeting. On the occasion, the Iranian interior minister strongly condemned recent terrorist attacks in Pakistan and said his country considers terrorist attack on Pakistan as an attack on Iran. The Iranian minister said that Pakistan and Iran have long lasting historic ties. On his part, Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed thanked Iran for supporting Pakistan’s position on Indian Illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir. He said the recent increase in terrorist incidents is regrettable and joint cooperation is needed to end it. Rasheed said the international community should help the Afghan people as severe scarcity of resources could lead to a humanitarian crisis in that country. He said Pakistan would continue to play its positive role for lasting peace in the region and welfare of Afghan people.
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S the Narendra Modi regime observes the anniversary of Pulwama attack, the saner minds in the country yet await any solid response from the BJP government to their questions casting serious doubts about the validity of the official narrative. On February 14, a vehicle packed with explosives was driven into a convoy of 78 buses carrying Indian paramilitary police in Pulwama, on the heavily guarded Srinagar-Jammu highway. The suicide attack that killed more than 40 Indian soldiers, took place ahead of voting in the region in India’s general election. The Indian government immediately blamed Pakistan for supporting terrorist activities in IIOJK. However, the country failed to provide any evidence of Pakistan’s involvement and Pakistan vehemently denied all accusations. Soon the reality was exposed by In-
dian media when a Whatsapp chat was leaked containing the facts pointing towards Indian state sponsored terrorist act to malign Pakistan. Indian media also took notice of the revelations of the website, The Wire, which disclosed the leaked WhatsApp chat between an anchorperson of the Indian Channel Republic TV, Arnab Goswami, and the former CEO of the rating agency Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC), Partho Dasgupta. The chats exposed the sinister designs hatched by Modi’s government to accuse Pakistan for the false Pulwama attack, followed by a botched air strike on Balakot in 2019. Tensions escalated between India and Pakistan in the aftermath of the Indian false flag terror attack at Pulwama in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) when, on February 27, 2019, the PAF shot down two Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter jets and launched aerial strikes at six targets in the IIOJK. These were in response to the so-called Indian air
strike in the town of Balakot. Through these false flag operations, the Indian establishment not only wanted to gain the sympathies of the world community but also to defame Pakistan in the comity of nations. Exposing the nexus between the extremist outfits BJP and RSS, the ex-Indian Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde revealed on January 20, 2013 that organised training camps run by these parties were promoting Hindu terrorism. He also explained that they were behind the Samjhauta Express, Mecca Masjid and Malegaon blasts. Pakistan’s civil and military leadership have repeatedly stated that India has been planning false flag operations, especially since it has faced multiple humiliations like, military standoff with China, shooting down of two IAF jets, Abhinandan episode and now the defeat of India supported elements in Afghanistan (Panjshir). However, the neutral minds in India were not willing to digest the Indian government’s version on the Pulwama episode
and raised serious question in this regard. The questions included how 250kg explosive reached the most protected highway; A terror attack of this magnitude requires months of planning. Has the intelligence networks so completely broken down that it could issue only routine alerts that were ignored and how did a private vehicle manage to reach the area without any checking. Moreover, the Modi government also owes answer to as how could the terrorists know when and where to strike to wreak such devastatuion but the security agencies were in dark; and bad weather is being blamed for the accumulation of vehicles. But was that compelling enough reasons to gather over 2,500 troops together and after a high risk target? Responding to the Narendra Modi’s tweet paying tribute to the Indian army personnel, Fiza Sheikh, a Twitter user, questioned as why the intelligence agencies failed, who is responsible for Jawans, security, protection.
Irrigation department completes land acquisition for Jalalpur Jattan Canal LAHORE Shahab Omer
The Punjab Irrigation Department has completed the acquisition of 8,558 acres of land for the Jalalpur Jattan Irrigation Project at a cost of RS 3,664 million, Profit learnt here on Monday. The officials of the department informed this scribe that the project was located along the right bank of river Jehlum from Rasul Barrage whereas the catchment areas were Pind Dadan Khan Tehsil, Khushab Tehsil and Jehlum Tehsil. The officials also informed that the project was initiated in 2016 and would be completed during the current fiscal year. “The department had to acquire 8,558 acres of land for the said project for the construction of Jalalpur canal 116 km and its distribution system of 210 km and flood carrier channels. A total of 4,351 acres of land for main canal and dis-
tribution system in a budget of RS 2075.5 million, a total of 4,191 acres land for drainage system for flood carrier channel in a budget of RS 1,570.4 million and 16 acres of land for PID colony at Kheowra in a budget of RS 18 million was to be acquired. However, the proposed land has been fully acquired carried out by the following procedure of the Land Acquisition Act 1984 whereas the implementation of LARPs (The land acquisition and resettlement plan) was being made as per guidelines of Asian Development Bank,” they informed. The officials said that the geographical spread was between salt range to southern areas of river Jehlum and this territory was almost flat excluding 6 miles reach of the main canal which crosses through this hilly range. “Resultantly, this reach travels parallel to the river Jehlum and there was a dire geo-strategic need for protection of this canal in this reach by strong embankment. The command area of Jalalpur main canal has been increased from 160,000 acres to 174,000 acres. In the initial plan-
ning phase of the project, the planned numbers of distributaries to be established were 18 which were further enhanced to 23 along with 7 minor during the design stage,” they said. The officials further added that the said project would be directly beneficial to 225,000 rural population dwelling in these areas whose livelihood is agriculture. “These small farmers would be provided with continuous supply of freshwater for drinking purposes along with stabilization in crops’ annual yield. Concerning the land acquisition, all required funds were provided by the Punjab government whereas Asian Development Bank assisted in financial support in the construction phase by 87 percent and remaining 13 percent by the Punjab government,” they added. When asked at what rate the department acquired the land, they replied that the basic estimation of land price has been as per discretion of District Price Assessment Committee rates/DC rate whereas the construction work of the canal has been completed about 25 per cent.
One dead, dozens injured in Lahore clash nEws dEsk
CEO Pakistan Railways Syed Mazhar Ali Shah visited Mughalpura Workshop on February 14, 2022 and directed the staff to work harder to uplift Pakistan Railways
Multiple people were injured when a fight broke out between Muslim and Christian community members in Lahore on Monday over an argument on the construction of a wall in the neighbourhood. The incident happened in the Factory Area of the provincial capital. Soon after the clash was reported, a contingent of law enforcers, including SP Cantonment Essa Sukhera, reached the site. The CCPO also took notice of the incident. The situation was brought under control and one individual was arrested. Police sources said the cause was a local dispute and did not have a religious connection.
The Bank of Punjab launches Lahore Qalandars Co-branded/Affinity Debit Card PREss RELEAsE The Bank of Punjab (BOP), one of the leading financial institutions with a network of 662 branches across Pakistan, signed a partnership agreement with PSL franchise Lahore Qalandars in January 2022 where BOP is their exclusive banking partner during the 3 years term of the agreement. As a part of the agreement, new joint products are planned to be launched that will be beneficial for both organizations and customers. BOP Lahore Qalandars Debit Card (LQDC) is first of such planned products developed under the umbrella of the partnership. BOP is also launching Credit Cards in Q2 this year to complete our Consumer Banking menu. A launch event was held at Pearl Continental Lahore on 14th February 2022 where the LQDC was un-veiled by the
President & CEO of Bank of Punjab, Mr. Zafar Masud and CEO of Lahore Qalandars, Mr. Atif Rana. Speaking on the occasion, BOP President and CEO Zafar Masud said, “At The Bank of Punjab, our customer is at heart of everything we do. Since cricket is part of our culture and PSL encourages
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healthy activities among the youth, we have developed Lahore Qalandars Debit Card to especially cater to the needs of Cricket fans in general and Lahore Qalandars fans in particular. We continue with an objective to add value in whatever we put our hand in. LQDC is one such initiative on our part and we expect the indus-
try will follow suit with coming out with new and unique product offering for their customers and the formation of healthy and economically important activities for the country. Cricket economy is something that we recognize and position ourselves. LQDC is a step in this direction.” LQDC offers host of facilities to the cardholder in addition to the standard discounts offered on our Gold Cards. A combination of secure technology of Contactless and Chip & PIN coupled with a bold and attractive cricketing design, LQDC customers will enjoy following benefits: Meeting your favorite Lahore Qalandars players, purchasing PSL tickets at special discounted rates, Opportunity to win LQ players’ signed bats and balls, special discounts on LQ Merchandise purchased through LQDC, and discounts on renowned sports brands and gyms.
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Tuesday, 15 February, 2022
06 COMMENT
Mind or heart?
In quest of magic number of 172 Govt’s allies support is crucial
Or reason (aql) vs passion (ishq)
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He first round of talks between Opposition leaders and major partners of the ruling alliance is over. What must have irked Prime Minister Imran Khan is that instead of outright refusal to discuss the noconfidence move, the PML(Q) and MQM leaders not only listened to the opposition but also agreed to take its plea for support to their parties’ decision making bodies. Without making any commitment, the two have asked the opposition leaders to share their future plan with the government allies. It would however provide some solace to the government that the opposition has failed to make any significant breakthrough over more than a week. It is significant that the establishment does not appear to have given any signal to the allies who have been yoked together with the PTI by the powers that be. The government has presumably been told that unlike the past it will receive no help in sorting out its opponents, or managing Pemra, nAB and other important bodies on behalf of the government. The government will have to rely on itself as establishment becomes ‘neutral’. As long as the establishment maintains that posture, the PTI’s allies will have to take decisions on their own. The PTI government will meanwhile have no solid reason to blame the establishment for the direction the allies take. The PPP has tried to lure the PML(Q) by promising to support Ch Pervez elahi as the next Punjab chief minister. It might be able to plead with the PML(n) to let him hold the office for an interim period, but the PML(Q) wants the office for an entire 2023-2028 tenure. It remains to be seen if the PML(n) agrees to the proposal. The PML(n) is prepared to support the MQM on the Local Government law, but sorting out the MQM’s problems with the security agencies or persuading it to stop raising demands about the division of Sindh is beyond the PML(n)’s power. While we are told that 22 PTI MnAs want to jump ship and whenever the crutches are removed the government will go home within 24 hours, but who will stand by the opposition when it presents a no-confidence move in the national Assembly, and risk disqualification under the defection law? It appears that the opposition will have to work harder and take longer to get the support of the ruling party’s coalition partners.
HASAN AFTAB SAEED
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ne meets four types of individuals according to the value they attach to reason and passion, or to the mind and the heart. If one is active on the social media, one encounters the first three types almost every day, with the fourth type appearing far less frequently. The first type consists of those who make it a point to coldly analyse everything. The man of this type is a great proponent of logic and reasoning. He says (rightly) that one cannot allow one’s conduct to be dictated to by mere feelings. For feelings are things one cannot help and are often outright silly. There are adults who would not go anywhere near a lizard although they know perfectly well that it could not possibly harm them. So much for feelings and emotions! The rationalist objects equally to those emotions that tend to make men throw caution to the
wind. He therefore dismisses poetry that glorifies passion – Guzar ja aql se aage ke ye noor…, Lekin kabhi kabhi ise tanhaa bhi chhor de, or Laraa de mamole ko shahbaaz se – as emotional claptrap with no basis in ground realities, and which is certain to do more harm than good. The second type comprises those who take pride in following their hearts. They maintain that life is too complex to analyse, and that one should therefore do what feels right. The heart has its reasons that reason does not know, and all that sort of thing. ‘We cannot analyse the truth’, they say, ‘but we know the truth when we hear it.’ These people are great ones for passion. They say (not entirely unjustifiably) that those who are into books and reasoning often find themselves in a state of analysis-paralysis. Therefore, they rarely perform in the battlefield so to speak, where those with passion rule the roost. They make fun of studious folks by calling them nerds, bookworms and what not. Follow your heart, is their mantra. The third type is by far the most interesting (and irritating). These guys keep switching between reason and passion, depending on their whim or whichever suits them better in any given situation. They might start with a perfectly rational reason for why they are pro-vaccine (say) but as the day of the vaccination approaches, they start having second thoughts, although no new evidence has come to light that could potentially change their position. Their doubts cause them to start voicing platitudes (‘Life and death are in God’s hands and if one is going to die, then one is going to die; and there is hardly anything anybody can do about it.’ – or words to that effect.) Only yesterday, I had a long discussion on a religious matter with a very academic-sounding man. Although the matter was interesting, its details need not concern us here. In true Type-1 style, he started extremely rationally: presenting evidence, and slowly building up to his conclusion. I pointed out the flaws in his argument and suggested that he should make certain amendments in his reasoning to make it more consistent. He kept on presenting
objections to my amendments, and I kept on answering them. This to-and-fro went on like a tennis rally for quite a while. Finally, he realized that ‘rationality’ was not going to take him anywhere. It was at that moment that he decided that he did not want to have anything to do with reason anymore. Switching abruptly to Type-2, he stated that religion was all about ishq and action; and that overthinking was therefore certain to make one an ineffective Muslim, if not worse. I am certain that, were he of a more literary disposition, he would have quoted Iqbal’s Be khatar kood para aatish e namrood mein ishq. Up until now, we have been surveying the first three types. now we have the pleasanter task of considering the fourth type, even though, unfortunately, it is much rarer than the first three. People of this type understand that the ‘mind or heart?’ (‘reason or passion?’) debate is a poorly framed one because the two are complementary, not competing, faculties. Depending upon the given context, both have a vital role to play. Religion (and everything else for that matter) is based on theory and practice. When it comes to the theory, impartial pursuit of the truth is called for. Here, feelings and passion are detrimental as they tend to obscure the truth. As one of its major themes, the Quran keeps exhorting men to ponder on its verses and on the workings of the universe. The Bible also says the same thing: ‘Come, let us reason together.’ [Isaiah 1:18] Reason is the faculty that distinguishes truth from falsehood. emotions have no part to play here. Once the truth is known, however, and it is time to act on it, it is passion that drives men. For when it comes to practice, cold reason often makes men pragmatic and overly concerned for their own safety and comfort. Both the rationalists as well as the passion enthusiasts are justified in valuing reason and passion respectively. But both are guilty of overemphasizing one faculty at the cost of the other. Reason and passion are not involved in a boxing match with one another. Reason reigns supreme when it comes to the pursuit of knowledge. But it is passion that gets things done. In a clash between two ideologies, it is the one backed by more passionate adherents, and not the ‘correct’ one, that dominates. The author is a connoisseur of music, literature, and food (but not drinks). He can be reached at www.facebook.com/hasanaftabsaeed
The Persistence of Bangladesh’s Economic Growth: The China factor and India’s Security threat
Imran on CNN Blaming the USA is not a problem-solving approach
Bangladesh’s economic progress have made Chinaand India squabble over it
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RIMe MInISTeR Imran Khan’s interview to Cnn, telecast on Sunday, showed a facile approach to recent history, which indicates that he does not have any real solution to the problem of terrorism still facing the country. Holding the USA responsible for invading Afghanistan and thus producing more terrorists does nothing to help Pakistan solve the issue of terrorism continuing in Pakistan even though its ‘candidate’, the Taliban, has taken power in Kabul. Mr Khan was right to mention that 80,000 Pakistanis did die because of Afghan terorism during the US occupation of Afghanistan, but he was unrealistic not to mention that the deaths continue. He also did not take account of the fact that the Pakistani military rulers, Gen Zia ul Haq and Gen Pervez Musharraf, eager perhaps to win acceptance for their regimes, and anxious as well to secure US money, cooperated with the USA in both of its ventures into Afghanistan, with terrorism being one of the natural consequences. Following Imran’s logic, they can equally be blamed for terrorism in Pakistan. It could be argued that his government’s attempts to negotiate with militant organizations, like the Tehrik i Taliban Pakistan or the Tehrik Labaik Pakistan, has encouraged extremism. To decry the USA for talking to the Taliban seems somewhat hypocritical coming from the head of a government that talked to the TTP, and only successfully concluded an agreement with the TLP at the cost of releasing a large number of its cadres. Mr Khan needs to understand that while a private citizen might be as wrongheaded in his analysis of the situation as he likes, lack of realism in a head of government means that he will make wrong decisions. The present example merely shows this. Mr Khan argues that there is no alternative to the Taliban. However, blaming the USA will stop him accepting Pakistan’s own role, and lead to the mistake being repeated. The belief in the Taliban’s irreplaceability should not blind him to how they are not stopping the TTP from carrying out acts of terrorism all over the country.
BENEDicT GEorGE
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AnGLADeSH is expected to become India’s fourth largest export destination in fiscal 2022, up from being currently fifth. It indicates that Bangladesh has grown in its purchasing power capability. Bangladesh’s economic expansion has pushed it in this direction. Bangladesh has surpassed India in major social phenomena and is on track to overtake India’s economy in the near future. India’s concern that Bangladesh’s economic expansion may endanger its security is quite understandable. Since its independence, Bangladesh has made great strides. Being battered by initial pessimism, refugees, wrecked infrastructure, and abandoned factories, it was left with no foreign exchange reserves. natural calamities and famine had driven the economy to the brink of collapse. Bangladesh’s prosperity is due to the presence of a single and central nation, a single language and culture, the acceptance of diversity, authorizing privatization, and encouraging foreign investments. The former “banana republic,” reliant on jute goods, had pushed the primary sector below the bottom of the list. Bangladesh now produces every second T-shirt. Backward linkages, such as garment accessory button and zipper manufacturers, are rising in lockstep with the readymade garment (RMG) industries. Domestic industries, agriculture, tanneries, pharmaceuticals, glass, plastic, cement, and steel sectors are all nurtured by the government, resulting in an economic boom in clusters. Bangladesh, like every other country, was plagued by the epidemic and was compelled to institute a lockdown, which momentarily halted the economic progress that is dependent on ‘3Rs’: RMG, Rice and Remittance. With the initial shock, the RMG sector had swung. Because ports were temporarily closed and delivery deadlines were missed, export orders were cancelled. But, amazingly, the industry had rebounded in just a few months. Since the March 2020 shutdown, the months of July and August have witnessed more exports than the prior two years. Bangladesh’s agriculture industry handled the pandemic-induced shock remarkably. Apart from a few floods, the agriculture industry did admirably, cushioning any large-scale employment losses. Bangladesh has substantial foreign reserves as well as a steady stream of remittances throughout the period, which offered some economic cushioning.
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During the epidemic, remittance inflows soared by a huge margin, and the government aided the process by providing incentives. It functioned as the primary shock absorber. Moreover, a stable macro- economy and static exchange rate is proved to keep the double-digit growth of Bangladesh going for a decade. except for a few occasional setbacks, Bangladesh’s economy is thriving. Bangladesh’s economy has been booming despite the epidemic, while others have been suffering. Its economy will remain open to international investment. To entice such investments, Bangladesh has established hundreds of special economic zones, which house all manufacturing and exporting facilities and allow international investors to safely trade their currencies. Korea, Japan, China, and India have all invested in these special economic zones. Bangladesh is likely to experience a transition shock when it graduates from LDC status. It will lose between 8 percent and 10 percent of its gross export gain. However, with domestic reforms such as increased labor productivity, improved tax collection, a better taxto-GDP ratio, and more domestic resource collection, the transition can be smoothed. Bangladesh has benefited from the trade war between the USA and China, as well as the continual tug-ofwar between India and China. Bangladesh’s physical proximity to China, as well as the two nations’ strong economic potential, suggests that China will become an even more important trade and development partner for Bangladesh in the coming years. China wants Bangladesh to join the Belt and Road Initiative, which benefits China’s economy Another reason for China’s interest in Bangladesh is to limit Indian influence in the area, in which it has mostly succeeded. All of India’s neighboirs (Myanmar, nepal, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan) have become targets for Chinese investment.
Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545
Bangladesh’s geostrategic importance will provide China a broad reach over the Bay of Bengal, allowing it to keep a close eye on the Indian Subcontinent if China can only persuade Bangladesh to fall into its debt trap. Until now, Bangladesh has been a shrewd operator. India, on the other hand, was concerned about the likelihood of Bangladesh joining hands with China. Due to their differing economies and agility, India and China are unable to compete financially. China will have finished building a bridge or a number of motorways by the time India finalizes a contract. India must concentrate on historic relations and collaboration while also resolving firstgeneration issues such as the Teesta River problem and border killings. People in Bangladesh frequently perceive India as a bully and feel that Bangladesh has never received its fair share because they are unable to understand figures. India must pay previous debts and move forward to become Bangladesh’s economic and security partner. The collaborative venture between Bangladesh and the DRDO’s Dhanush artillery gun may develop ships, radars, and missiles. It will meet the needs of Bangladesh’s Armed Forces (which are controlled by Chinese businesses to the tune of 86 percent), as well as safeguard India’s strategic interests and promote the Indian government’s ‘Aatma-nirbhar Bharat’ (self-reliant India) slogan. The capacity of India and Bangladesh to share marine domain awareness can also be improved. Bangladesh’s economic progress has a favorable impact on India’s economy because it is one of the country’s top export destinations. Bangladesh may be India’s sole neighbour who can support India both strategically and economically, and vice versa. Bangladesh, on the other hand, piques the interest of India’s adversaries. But India must remember, in geopolitics friends and foes may change, but the neighbours can’t be changed.
Bangladesh’s economic progress has a favorable impact on India’s economy because it is one of the country’s top export destinations. Bangladesh may be India’s sole neighbour who can support India both strategically and economically, and vice versa. Bangladesh, on the other hand, piques the interest of India’s adversaries.
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The writer is a freelance columnist
Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk
06-07 Comments - 15th February 2022_Layout 1 2/14/2022 11:10 PM Page 2
Tuesday, 15 February, 2022
COMMENT 07 Editor’s mail Send your letters to: Letters to Editor, Pakistan Today, 4-Shaarey Fatima Jinnah, Lahore, Pakistan. E-mail: letters@pakistantoday.com.pk Letters should be addressed to Pakistan Today exclusively
Plastic’s pernicious ramifications
Russia-Ukrainian crisis: A tragedy in making? Saving Ukraine is secondary,NATO really wants to contain Russia Ali ZuBAir Soomro
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InCe the USA has warned that Russia is 70 percent ready to invade and could overrun Kyiv in a few days, debates and concerns have been triggered among analysts, political pundits and experts about the prevalent situation. However, Russia has rebutted any claim to invade Ukraine and said that its manoeuvres are just for its vital security interest and blamed nATO for undermining regional security. But Ukraine is not on the same page; on the one hand, it turns down any risk of invasion. On the other hand, it is preparing civilians for invasion. Here the questions are that if Russia does not plan to invade, why has it massed such a high number of soldiers on the Ukrainian border? Why are the USA and nATO taking the chance of invasion so seriously, if Ukraine rejects the possibility of any invasion? Is it really a tragedy in making? What will be its consequences? Before answering these questions, let’s go through the history to extrapolate the causes of this tinderbox properly. Historically, the Russio-Ukranian crisis is not novel, but it traces back to 2013-14. When after independence, Ukraine set apart its Russian legacy and forged compact ties with the west. When Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych rejected an association agreement with europe in favour of closer ties with Russia, this caused protests and he was removed from power in 2014. In response, as some believe, Moscow had annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula and supported separatist rebellions which broke out in Ukraine’s east. Then, a blame game started. Ukraine and the West blamed Russia for sending its troops and weapons to support the rebels, Moscow defied these claims. Instead, it chastised the USA and its nATO allies for weapons and joint drills with Ukraine, which she believed would encourage Ukraine to fight and its regional security would be destabilized. Coming to the recent situation, simply answering the questions, Russia is afraid of Ukraine’s wish to join nATO, which Moscow claims is a red line and causes concerns about the set-up of nATO members near its border, where nATO members, as it assumes, will set military training centres that ultimately will give them a foothold in the region which will be a looming danger for Russia. To evade this, Russia, in December, had sent a security demand document to the USA which was seeking guarantees for halting nATO measures of setting up weapon systems that threaten Moscow in close vicinity to its territory. But Russian demands were nixed by the USA and nATO. Consequently, as Russia is concerned about its security interest, it deemed it necessary to place this humongous number of soldiers on the border, but from the USA and
nATO it sounds like an imminent tragedy knocking at the door of Ukraine: US intelligence has even predicted the number of casualties, if Russia invades. To assist Ukraine, the Pentagon has put 8,500 US troops on standby for an eastern deployment. To add to this, Biden has commanded to deploy additional US troops to Poland, Romania, and Germany to substantiate the USA’s commitment to nATO’s eastern side amid tensions between Russia and Ukraine, since Poland borders both Russia and Ukraine, and Romania just borders Ukraine. Also, hundreds more infantry troops of the 82nd Airborne Division are expected to arrive at the Rzeszow Jasionka airport, which is 56 miles away from Poland’s border with Ukraine. Besides, nATO is sending ships and jets. Since Ukraine is still not a member of nATO, the US and nATO soldiers cannot enter Ukraine to fight on their behalf. Apart from them, Germany on its own plans to send a field medical facility but ruled out supplying arms, even after the Ukraine embassy’s request with a list pertaining to missile defence system, tools for electronic warfare, night vision goggles, digital radios, radar stations and military ambulances. Besides getting civilian assistance, Ukraine has started drills with civilians to train them for any possible invasion. On the contrast, Olesksiy Reznokov, Minister of Defence of Ukraine, verbalized that the most realistic scenario could be any effort to destabilize Ukraine internally because the Kremlin dreams that its forces will be warmly welcomed on the streets of Kyiv, Odessa, Dnipro or Lviv. But the reality differs. Actually, this will not happen in the full-scale aggression. And, it is no longer possible to seize administrative buildings, take advantage of a pro-Soviet population like 2014, so Ukrainians need to be ready for it and fill all gaps. In response, President Vladimir Putin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that such manoeuvres only added to an already tense atmosphere and the USA is escalating tensions. Russia is watching such manoeuvres with concerns. Also, it is constantly urging US partners to stop escalating tensions on the european continent and accuses the USA and nATO for toiling to contain Russia. Moreover, there are various other allegations on Moscow, that it is set to run a major nuclear
weapon exercise in the coming weeks as a caution to nATO and deter it from intervening in the event of Putin invading Ukraine. To add, Jens Stoltenberg, nATO General Secretary, said that Russia has already deployed thousands of troops including Spetsnaz Special forces, along with Iskander missiles that can be tipped with nukes, fighter jets and the S-400 anti-aircraft system. nATO has also warned that Russia is massing nuclear-capable missiles along with 30,000 troops in Belarus. Furthermore, some analysts believe Moscow could move on Ukraine to claim a quick, decisive victory and increase its power in future talks about nATO’s expansion and spheres of influence. However, some contrast in opinion and claim that nATO allies, especially the USA, are reluctant to expand their military footprints in the region and further jeopardize their relationship with Moscow. Afterwards, China sided the Russia in opposing further expansion by nATO and both called on nATO to abandon its ideological approach of the Cold War. After understanding entire situation, one can come to know and can simply answer the question of seriousness of the USA and nATO to the RussoUkrainian conflict that they are containing Russia more than assisting Ukraine to expand their military foothold, because the USA and Russia are too old antagonists, who toil to contain each other or damage each other indirectly or directly, if we further go through the suggested sanctions by the USA and nATO, if Russia invades, as they claim, which include hitting Russia financially by cutting Russia out of the SWIFT financial system; banning Russian gas pipeline in europe, which accounts a robust revenue for Russia; and imposing export controls, potentially cutting Moscow off from the high tech that helps warplanes and passenger jets fly and powers smartphones, one can conclude that helping Ukraine can be a secondary purpose of the USA and nATO but to contain Russia is priority, using Ukraine as a tool for garnering its geopolitical goals. War is not a solution to any conflict; instead it fuels crisis. To resolve the issue, both countries should come to talks so that without any devastation conflict is settled and any tragedy, which is in making, should be prevented.
War is not a solution to any conflict; instead it fuels crisis. To resolve the issue, both countries should come to talks so that without any devastation conflict is settled and any tragedy, which is in making, should be prevented
The writer is a freelance columnist
PLASTIC is non-biodegradable harmful material on the earth. Once these are used, take years to eliminate them from the land. Hence, its judicious use is very much necessary. They can cause serious dangers to nature. Therefore, these should be banned completely or limited immediately. Otherwise, their unchecked use can seriously damage the earth and result in serious ailments for living entities. It means, these badly impact life-bearing creatures. except this, plastic is largely responsible for land pollution and water pollutions. Thus, It will hugely be helpful if we impose an urgent ban on its use. Used plastic can not be recycled, reused and reapplied for any other functions else. They can be used once only. next time use is impossible. Owing to this hazardous nature, these bring forth serious impact on the environment. When they burn, different harmful gases eject into the atmosphere. As a result, environmental imbalance surges; this disturbance is extremely dangerous to existing creatures. Once applied plastics bear serious consequences for the environment. These eject contaminated gases into the atmosphere and upset the climate. Likewise, these degrade environmental beauty and equality. The fundamental impact of plastic is to make land barren and infertile. When this plastic dump in the land, make the land unproductive. The growth of land hampers dramatically owing to its uneven plastic. Plastic hazards are increasingly inimical to environmental safety. Hence, urgent steps must be taken to lessen its harmful hike and influence. Social awareness is very critical to educating the community about plastic hazards. Hence, both government and citizens must come forward to contribute to the drive. Alternatives to plastic must be preferred to it. Other ecofriendly options must be adopted to avoid the dangers of plastic. In a nutshell, Plastic are seriously destructive to the environment. Therefore, existing governments must come ahead to take part in this campaign because its participation is very worthwhile. MUHAMMAD AFZAL SHAIKH GAMBAT
Problem of begging THROUGH the column of your esteemed daily, I would like to highlight and want to draw the attention of higher authorities to the problem of beggars in my city Rawalpindi. nowadays, the number of beggars has increased in all parts of Rawalpindi. You can easily find a group of beggars in every street, bazaar, outside the hospital, schools, colleges and universities. even small children are forced to beg by their parents. They also started doing criminal activities like stealing bags and child lifting etc. Many female beggars enter the houses quietly and rob the people in different ways. Begging should be abolished by law and the government should check this social evil with iron hands and the public should also cooperate with the authorities to crush this evil practice. MUHAMMAD JUNAID ARSHAD RAWALPINDI
Online vs traditional education THe COVID-19 pandemic has affected people regardless of nationality, level of education, income or gender. This unprecedented situation forced both children and adults around the globe to be lockdown in their homes. education is no exception to the calamity. The aftermath of the fatal virus forced educational institutions worldwide to find suitable alternatives to bridge the gap and reach out to young learners at home. Hence, the institutes around the world resorted to online teaching and learning in order to continue the academic sessions through Zoom and Google Classrooms. In this unique way learning is not confined within the four walls of the classroom and learners are connected with the teacher remotely through electronic media. It is remarkable that there are a variety of online education solutions for every educational need. It is certain that online education has come a long way and opened new prospects in the field of education. On the other hand, the value of learning through online media is questioned by people but it has also been the most useful and appropriate alternative to long-distance learning. In online education, the teachers teach the students by presenting a presentation in front of their screens there are also quizzes such as Kahoot in which the whole class can participate and challenge each other. The students are assigned homework in the google classroom in which the students has been prepared for college and universities because most of the assignments are done on a computer or laptop. Yes it is challenging for both student and teacher because there could be Wi-Fi problems and the teachers may have a lack of knowledge of today’s technology and students could outsmart their teachers. But even before Covid-19, we could take an example of homeschooling some parents are unable to manage a lot of things so they take homeschooling as an example. It could benefit both the parent and student. He will not have friends and will have a lack of social skills. Online learning will be a new phase in life also. Online classes could cause lots of chaos because there will be a lack of trust between both the teacher and student for example the student could open another tab and play video games. There is also another problem that can affect both the teachers and students. now in physical education, all the students and teachers are communicating with each other face to face which is great in the end as all the students have to apply for a job and they have to work physically in that job. In physical classes, students will be more attentive and the teachers could examine all the student’s weaknesses or try to help them conquer their fears such as public speaking or examination phobia. In physical education, the teacher can communicate a lot with the student’s and could develop a great understanding between the teacher and student. The student’s skills could be improved such as public speaking. It develops discipline in the student. Physical education could improve the communication skills of the students as they will work in groups and participate in different events and learn from other students. Yes, physical education is expensive and lots of people favour homeschooling because it is cheap. Bullying is inevitable so that could be a huge problem for the whole school. Plus schools do not prepare the students to apply what they have learned, for example, the student does not know how to operate a person which makes him go to the ground. now it is a huge debate whether online education is better or physical in this modern world many people learn from different methods no one is the same it is the student job to figure out how could he learn some students learn by writing the material a lot some learn by keeping on repeating the phase but the memorization process depends on the student. MUHAMMAD HARRIS NOON LAHORE
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Tuesday, 15 February, 2022
08 WORLD VIEW
Putin, uS intelligence and the global fight for the ukraine narrative THE IRAQ WAR CASTS A SHADOW OVER THE CREDIBILITY OF US WARNINGS AMID ERODING PUBLIC FAITH IN POLITICIANS
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came across someone out of his mind with anger on the streets of Berlin last week. a tall, agitated man was hurling his bike around and screaming into the night air. the theme of his discourse seemed to be that the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, is the only trustworthy world leader and that the americans are once again trying to trick Germany into a war. It is tempting — but too sanguine — to dismiss scenes like that as meaningless. For the Ukraine crisis is taking place in a period when conspiracy theories are rife across the western world. the leaders who are struggling to frame an effective and united response to Russia know that public opinion is critical. For every bike-throwing lunatic, there are many more citizens who are quietly mistrustful of their governments. Public opinion in the west has rarely shown lower levels of trust in political leaders. the annual Edelman trust Barometer reported in January a “collapse of trust in developed democracies” — with only 46 per cent of Germans, 44 per cent of Britons and 43 per cent of americans trusting their governments. the struggle over Ukraine is unfolding while the
streets of Ottawa, Canada’s capital, are choked with antivaxxers — with copycat demonstrations taking place in Paris and planned for other western capitals. In the US, President Joe Biden still has to contend with conspiracy theories about his son’s past business dealings with Ukraine. In Britain, Boris Johnson, the prime minister has dabbled in conspiracy theories himself. the question of trust is now central to the international struggle over Ukraine. the Russian government is expert at “hybrid warfare” — where information and opinion are all part of the battle. Putin is a former spy. Western governments are acutely aware that they have been wrongfooted by Russian information warfare in the past, not least during the 2016 US presidential election. that is partly why the White house is now giving intelligence briefings not just to the president — but to the world at large. Jake Sullivan, Biden’s national security adviser, took to the White house podium on Friday to tell the world about the Russian troop build-up in Ukraine — and to warn of a possible impending invasion. the goal was not simply to give americans time to get out of Ukraine. It was an effort by the US to gain control of the narrative, before Russia does. But any US effort to use intelligence to shape world opinion has to contend with the shadow of the Iraq war. america’s successful effort to build a “coalition of the
willing” in 2003 was based on the publication of intelligence claims that Saddam hussein was in possession of “weapons of mass destruction”. the failure to find any WMD dealt american credibility a blow from which it has never fully recovered. however, there is an important difference between the kind of intelligence used in Ukraine and Iraq. the existence of WMD was always disputed. the fact that 130,000 Russian troops are currently massing on Ukraine’s borders is not — not even by Moscow. the propaganda war is currently being waged around the question of intent. Russia denies that it is poised to invade and has accused the west of deliberately hyping the threat. the Russian line is that their troops will only move if they are provoked by Ukraine. the west’s frequent suggestions that Russia is planning a “false flag” operation, to manufacture just such a provocation, is crucial to this battle of narratives. It might be complacently assumed by some western governments that winning a propaganda war with the Kremlin should not be hard. after all, how much credibility can Putin have — after first denying sending “little green men” to annex Crimea in 2014 and then later admitting it? Or after sending assassins to kill a former Russian agent in Salisbury in England; and then putting the assassins on television to claim that they had visited the city twice — but only because
With interim order in hijab case, karnataka hc has failed the party that has the genuine grievance
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hat is shocking about Friday’s interim order in the matter of the hijab ban by a three-judge bench of the Karnataka high Court is that it did not actually surprise anyone. the court said that until it delivers its final verdict, students should not wear religious clothing to class if their college has a prescribed uniform. Given the record of the judiciary over the past few years, justice for the minorities and weaker sections of society (such as migrant labourers) has become a privilege and not their right. after the Babri Masjid land judgement and the refusal of the Supreme Court to hear the petitions challenging the Centre’s decision to abolish statehood for Indian Occupied Kashmir, it requires extraordinary constitutional will and an irrepressible trust in the idea of justice for the minorities and the oppressed to come to court. the courts need to be grateful to the Muslims who still knock at its doors despite having repeatedly suffered humiliation. With its interim order, the high Court has practically suspended the rights of the Muslim women students who have challenged the ban on hijab and denial of entry to their educational institutions by invoking the freedom of religion and conscience guaranteed under article 25 of the Indian Constitution. “Pending consideration of all these petitions, we restrain all the students regardless of their religion or faith from wearing saffron shawls and connected matters scarfs, hijab, religious flags or the like within the classroom,” said the three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice Ritu Raj awasthi, Justice Krishna S Dixit and Justice JM Khazi. A FREE PASS TO VANDALISM: the court rejected the petitioners’ plea for interim relief and declined to direct the state to
allow them to wear the hijab till the matter is decided. Why did the court think it right to ask the students to forego their fundamental rights, even if temporarily? It did not think it necessary to explain its reasoning. the order has dealt a grievous blow to the idea of justice in many ways. It has given a free pass to vandalism by ignoring the organised manner in which these events unfolded. It has validated a false equivalence between the rights of those who have only recently started donning saffron scarves and turbans to intimidate women students who have been wearing the hijab as part of an age-old convention. the court has given a free pass to the state’s Bharatiya Janata Party government, which has failed in its duty to protect the hijab-wearing students and quell the violence. Indirectly, it has put the onus of restoring peace on Muslims while allowing the state to go scot-free. the interim order implies that a section of society should accept the suspension of its fundamental rights because the state is unwilling to respect and protect it. What is most important in the eyes of the court is the commonsensical requirement to restore peace and tranquility. the court did not ask a simple question: how is it that the mighty state cannot restrain thuggish elements from mobilising mobs of youth, distributing saffron scarves and headgear to them and using them to threaten hijab-wearing Muslim students and the educational institutions they attend? It is this violence that broke peace. Peace was not disturbed by the hijab. We need to call the bluff of those who have started lumping hijab and saffron together. Now the court, with its order, has put a legal stamp on this perception. AN OLD CONVENTION: the advocate general representing the state knew what he was doing when he said that the state could not discriminate between the new saffron scarf wearers and the long-time hijab-wearing students. he knew that saffron scarves and headgear are not a part of the daily tradition of hindus whereas the hijab, like it or not, is a very old convention in the Muslim community. We can see – but the lordships cannot – that the hindus to have added saffron only as a retort to hijab. It does not serve any religious purpose but has been deployed instead to create a law-and-order problem that has been used an excuse to prevent some Muslim students from wearing the hijab. Saffron garb does not satisfy a spiritual need but has been used to demonstrate dominance over Muslims. the courts also made the right of education of the hijab wearing Muslim students
conditional. as one of their lawyers said, it has asked them to choose between food and water. In a supposedly religious country like India, it has asked Muslims to suspend practicing their faith for the larger societal good of peace – a peace that had not been broken by them but by the violent mobs assembled to intimidate them. these are questions the court cannot disregard but it has done exactly that. It did not accept the “smaller argument” route suggested by advocate Sanjay hegde and instead preferred to wade into the “Essential Practices” argument: what constitutes an essential practice of the faith? Who decides this and how? By using this argument, a religious community can be deprived of its convention. For instance, if the juridical view is that a mosque is not an essential part of Islam, it could be used to demolish mosques. tomorrow, a skull cap or kippa could be made illegal since they are not essential to Islam or Judaism. Instead, as lawyer Gautam Bhatia has suggested the issue to be considered is if the belief is sincerely held; irrespective of its motivation and also the question why this individual choice cannot be accommodated, how it creates inequality between students and how it vitiates the educational atmosphere. the court needs to assure itself whether the belief (in this case of wearing of the hijab) is genuinely held or not. If there is a competing group, it could also find out whether its claim has been made only to dispute the belief of the original group. In the Karnataka dispute, we know which group is genuine. It is clear that the competing group’s compliance with the dress code does not subject them to disadvantage while the ban on hijab does compromise the belief of Muslim students. as in the case of Sarika, a Sikh student in the UK whose right to wear kada was upheld in 2008, a Kenyan court in 2015 said that policies like a uniform dress code, while appearing to be neutral can actually be indirectly discriminatory, M Jannani notes in this article. One cannot ignore that. the Supreme Court must not watch this blatant legal suppression of the fundamental rights of a religious group that is facing daily assault from the ruling dispensation and autonomous violent groups. One of the judges while speaking outside the court had underlined the crucial and extraordinary role that the judiciary has to play in majoritarian times. are we not already there? Apoorvanand teaches Hindi in Delhi University.
they wanted to see its famous cathedral? however success for the Russians does not require convincing western voters that the Kremlin is telling the truth. It can be almost as helpful to suggest that the White house is also lying. Unlike Iraq in 2003, western governments seem largely in agreement over what is happening on the ground in Ukraine. France and Germany opposed the Iraq war. their leaders even shared a platform with Putin, to express that opposition. this time around, the major governments are united in their opposition to Russia’s threats. the differences that exist between Washington, Berlin, Paris and London are mainly about diplomatic strategy. But western public opinion remains a weak link. Recent polls suggest that 26 per cent of americans agree that “Joe Biden is a puppet president” controlled by a Deep State; while 31 per cent of americans, 28 per cent of French people and 23 per cent of Germans think it is definitely or probably true that there is a “single group of people who secretly control events and run the world together”. that kind of extreme, irrational scepticism is a weak base on which to build a consensus for a western policy response that is likely to be expensive and dangerous. Unfortunately Putin has plenty to work with, as he tries to exploit the weaknesses of the west.
in indian occupied kashmir, journalist’s arrest intensifies pressure on media THE ARREST OF FAHAD SHAH SENDS A HARSH MESSAGE TO OTHER JOURNALISTS, ONE OBSERVER SAYS. JOURNALISTS GLOBALLY FACE RISING THREATS
chriStian Science Monitor AmeliA newcomb
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N Saturday, the Monitor’s international editor, Peter Ford, got the kind of call no editor wants to receive: that your correspondent has been arrested. On the line was a friend of Fahad Shah, who has written for the Monitor for many years from Indian Occupied Kashmir and is editor of the Kashmir Walla. the friend said that Mr. Shah, a respected journalist, had been charged with sedition in response to stories that police said were “glorifying terrorist activities.” Just days before his arrest, Mr. Shah had been questioned about a story for which the Kashmir Walla interviewed the family of a 17-year-old who was killed in a gunfight between authorities and alleged militants. Police said the young man was a “hybrid militant,” but the family said he was an innocent civilian. the story included comments from the police and the army. the Monitor has issued a statement calling for Mr. Shah’s release, as have numerous other publications and media groups, including the Editors Guild of India, Digipub News India Foundation, the International Press Institute, and the Committee to Protect Journalists. India, which placed Indian Occupied
Kashmir under its direct rule in 2019, ending the region’s special autonomous status, ranks 141st out of 180 countries in the 2021 World Press Freedom Index. But press freedom and independent media voices are under attack around the globe, the index shows, from violent assaults across the americas and Europe to jail sentences imposed by an array of governments eager to suppress critical and investigative reports. Enabling such repression is growing public disdain for journalists in many quarters, fed by targeted public campaigns about fake news and sharply waning public trust in government, media, and social institutions. those efforts are having an effect: the 2022 Edelman trust Barometer found that two-thirds of people in 28 countries say they are being lied to by journalists. the staff of the Kashmir Walla are continuing to publish even as they work for Mr. Shah’s release. But in Indian Occupied Kashmir, journalists like Mr. Shah face intensifying pressures. the Kashmir Press Club closed last month; a contributor to the Kashmir Walla was arrested last month and is still in jail. Mr. Shah has been repeatedly harassed and detained for hours of questioning, and his publication said in a statement that he could face lengthy imprisonment if convicted. the authorities “don’t want people to know what they are doing here,” says one local observer who knows Mr. Shah. “they want [people] to fall in line. Fahad has refused to do this despite the intimidations. “It’s not just that Fahad has been arrested,” he adds. “It means a lot for the fraternity. the authorities are saying, ‘If we can arrest Fahad, then you are no one.’” Mr. Shah, he says, had been told by concerned family and friends to shut the publication and leave. But the journalist has consistently refused: “he always told me, ‘If I run away right now, I don’t know how to face people when I come back.’”
Tuesday, 15 February, 2022 | LAHORE
Rise to the Challenge with the all-new Redmi note 11 seRies LAHORE
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Press release
IAOMI announced the Redmi Note 11 series for Pakistani markets, pushing forward the legacy of the Redmi Note series with two all-new devices: Redmi Note 11 Pro and Redmi Note 11. Rising to the challenge to bring even stronger specs and features, Redmi Note 11 series again brings powerful upgrades to its camera system, charging speed, display, and SoC—making flagship-level smartphone performance more accessible than before. Also announced today, the brand-new Xiaomi Smart Air Purifier 4 series. Flagship-level camera setup to deliver outstanding photography Raising up the flagship camera experience, Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G, and Redmi Note 11 once again feature 108 & 50MP primary sensors respectively, allowing you to capture and share moments of your life in high resolution and true-to-life details. Utilizing the Samsung HM2 sensor with a
XIAOMI INTRODUCES REDMI NOTE 11 SERIES IN PAKISTAN
large 1/1.52" sensor size, the main camera leverages 9-in-1 pixel binning technology as well as dual native ISO to deliver incredible images with higher dynamic range and color performance, with excellent results even in dim light. The 8MP ultra-wide angle
camera extends your perspective with a 118-degree viewing angle, and the 2MP macro camera captures fine details from up close. Additionally, the depth camera on Redmi Note 11 Pro, and Redmi Note 11 allows you to create a natural bokeh effect for
your portrait shots. The front of Redmi Note 11 Pro features a 16MP front camera that can capture clear, natural-looking selfies. FHD+ AMOLED DotDisplay with up to 120Hz refresh rate & trendy flat-edge body Boasting a high refresh rate up to 120Hz and a touch sampling rate up to 360Hz, Redmi Note 11 series enhances your screen experience with smoother animations and lag-free transitions, while also registering more precise finger touches. With a screen size of 6.67-inch and 6.43inch, the series is equipped with a FHD+ AMOLED DotDisplay featuring DCI-P3 wide color gamut, provides more vibrant colors and details, while also reaching as much as 1200 nits to ensure the screen’s clarity even in bright daylight. The beautiful display is packed into a trendy flat-edge body design. Plus, with dual super linear speakers located at the top and bottom of the phone, Redmi Note 11 series offers a complete entertainment experience with immersive stereo sound for gaming or watching videos.
Out of 34 federal ministries, only four fully observing quota for persons with disability: Dr Mazari ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Human Rights Dr. Shireen Mazari presided over the third meeting of the Council on Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) on Monday. Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, Secretary Human Rights, senior officers and representative from various ministries and federal departments participated in the meeting. Meeting was commenced with a welcome note by the chairperson. She briefly discussed some agenda points laid in the second meeting of the council and urged to know the current status of their implementation. Afterward, senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed highlighted that a team, constituted by the Council, should visit the ICT to check and monitor the steps that have been taken by the Capital Development Authority to make the territory more disable friendly. He emphasized that selection of athletes for Paralympics should be focused so that we may have footprints in all such international events and stressed that a special Liaison Officer can be hired for CRPD to get better coordination with Embassies and NGOs. While discussing the status of implementation of 2% disability quota re-
served in all ministries and divisions, Dr. Shireen Mazari said that as per the data received till date from 34 federal ministries, hardly four ministries are fully observing the prescribed quota for persons with disability, whereas there is a short fall of more than five thousand that must be filled in. She said that Ministry of Human Rights will take all steps including necessary correspondence with Prime Minister Office and Establishment division to ensure the observance of quota both in public and pri-
vate sector. She added that council is striving to improve the standards of its mechanisms for medical assessment under the international guidelines of WHO. As introducing of such kinds of assessments are necessary for making rehabilitation, training and independent living passible for physically challenged persons of the society. She said that concerned provincial departments would also be taken on board in future for devising these frameworks and mecha-
nisms. Meeting was apprised that on the request and proposal of BISP a special desk under BISP Ehsaas One Window Centre has been created in their existing facilitation center in Islamabad that is fully functional these days and catering all the needs of PWDs . Minister for Human Rights stated that data collection methods and enumerator trainings, especially on Washington Group Questions on Disability, are much needed to improve the accuracy of census data. For this, Ministry of Human Rights will also coordinate with Ministry of Planning and Development to have better results in terms of data on persons with disability in forthcoming census. Minister reiterated that in the follow up meeting a special briefing by National Paralympics Committee may be arranged to further advance the procedures of selection. For strengthening the structure and for capacity building of CRPD, she insisted that experts with special skills and abilities should be hired to improve the functioning of council in line with the international standards and preference should be given to PWDs. On the request of a special member of council, minister acceded to convert the ICT Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2020 in accessible format for visually impaired persons.
TikTok removes 6 million videos from Pakistan for violating community guidelines in Q3, 2021 LAHORE Press release
Pns aslat Visits oman as Part of Regional maritime security Patrol ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Navy Ship ASLAT visited Port Muscat, Oman during deployment on Regional Maritime Security Patrol (RMSP) in North Arabian Sea. Upon arrival at Muscat, the ship was received by Director Maritime Security Center (Oman) and officials from Royal Navy of Oman. During the visit, Commanding Officer of PNS ASLAT called on Director Maritime Security Center and DG Operations & Plans of Royal Navy of Oman. During the interactions, matters of mutual interests were discussed and enhancement of bilateral ties in all spheres was re-affirmed. On the occasion Commanding Officer of PNS ASLAT conveyed good wishes of Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi for the people of Oman and the Royal Oman Navy. During the port visit, table top discussions on professional matters and bilateral interactions were held. Pakistan Navy Ship's crew was afforded opportunity to visit various facilities and installations at Muscat port for orientation. Pakistan Navy believes in promoting peace and is committed to maritime security and order at sea. Press release
The world’s leading short-form video platform, TikTok, has released its Community Guidelines Enforcement Report, which details the volume and nature of violative content and accounts removed from the platform in Q3 of 2021. The report provides insight into content removed for violating the Community Guidelines, reinforcing the platform’s public-accountability, to the community, policymakers, and NGOs. To protect the safety of the community and the integrity of the platform, 91,445,802 videos were removed globally, between 1st July and 30th September 2021, comprising around 1% of all videos uploaded. Nearly 95% of those videos were removed before a user reported it, while 88% before the video received any views and 93% were removed within 24 hours of being posted. With 6,019,754 videos removed, Pakistan is now ranked fourth in the world for the largest volume of videos taken down for Community Guidelines violations in Q3 2021. In addition, 73.9% of content promoting harassment and bullying were proactively removed, while 72.4% of hateful-behavior videos were also removed before anyone reported them. TikTok has announced updates to its Community Guidelines, to further support the well-being of its community and the integrity of the platform. These updates clarify or expand upon the types of behavior and content that will be removed from the platform or made ineligible for recommendation in the ‘For You’ feed. Over the coming weeks, every TikTok member will be prompted
to read the updated guidelines when they open the application. To protect the security, availability, and reliability of the platform, TikTok is expanding its policy to include prohibition of unauthorized access to the platform, as well as TikTok content, accounts, systems, or data. Use of TikTok to perpetrate criminal activity is also prohibited. In addition to educating the community on ways to spot, avoid, and report suspicious activity, the platform is opening state-ofthe-art cyber-incident monitoring and investigative-response centers in Washington DC, Dublin, and Singapore this year. TikTok continues to expand its system that detects and removes certain categories of violations during upload – including adult-nudity and sexual-activities, child-safety, illegal-activities and regulated-goods. As a result, the volume of automated removals has increased, which improves the overall safety of TikTok and enables the team to focus more on reviewing contextual or nuanced content, such as hatespeech, bullying, harassment and misinformation, to improve the efficacy, speed, and consistency of the TikTok platform. The improvement stems from the pioneering combination of technology and content-moderation, by a dedicated investigations-team, deployed to identify videos that violate policies. To better enforce these policies, moderators also receive regular training, enabling them to identify content that features; reappropriation, slurs and bullying. TikTok’s Community Guidelines apply to everyone and all content on the platform, to achieve a safer standard of content that is appropriate for the general audience, which includes everyone from teens to great-great-grandparents.
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sania issues strict instructions to Kafaalat bank agents in a televised message ISLAMABAD Press release
From Feb 1, 2022 the biannual stipend amount of Ehsaas Kafaalat has been raised from Rs. 12,000 to Rs. 13,000. The increase of Rs.1,000 was ratified by the Federal Cabinet in June last year to benefit all Ehsaas Kafaalat beneficiaries. “With the recent raise in Kafaalat stipend amount, all eligible beneficiaries of Kafaalat will now get Rs. 13,000 as a six-monthly stipend amount. No agent of partnering banks will be allowed to illegally deduct any money from payment to deserving families”, said Dr. Sania in her televised message for retail agents of Habib Bank and Bank Alfalah. The video message can be watched at the official YouTube channel: EhsaasOfficial. Further, caveating the agents to refrain from fraudulent deductions, Dr. Sania reiterated, “A stern action will be taken against agents involved in illegal deductions. They will be dealt with strictly according to the law.” She also urged beneficiaries to collect full payment of Rs. 13,000 from the agents along with the computerized payment receipt at the time of Kafaalat cash disbursement. Eligible beneficiaries can access payment at biometric ATMs, designated retail shops and specialized campsites of partnering banks countrywide. Habib Bank serves payments in Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan and Islamabad and Bank Alfalah across KP, GB and AJK. Ehsaas Kafaalat is an unconditional cash transfer programme that includes cash stipends and bank account for 8 million poorest women across all districts of the country. The Ehsaas Kafaalat payment system features biometrically enabled disbursements to beneficiary women on six monthly basis. Beneficiaries are being identified through recently accomplished Ehsaas survey and Ehsaas Registration Desks operating in all Tehsils. Surveyed families can check their eligibility and disbursement status in Kafaalat on Ehsaas 8171 web-portal with the help of their Computerized National Identity Card or survey token numbers. The portal can be accessed at:https://ehsaastracking.pass.gov.pk
education is most important element for collective development of a society and a state: ayub afridi PESHAWAR Press release
The Advisor to the Prime Minister on Overseas Pakistanis & HRD, Muhammad Ayub Afridi said that education is one of the most important elements for collective development of a society and a state. Addressing inauguration ceremony of OPF Public School, Peshawar, the Advisor said that education is a social process that enables human beings to develop their quality of life and lead a peaceful social life. It makes the individual to contribute to human development in accordance with contextual changes of the nation. He said that education is not just about getting a degree or a piece of paper. With proper education, one can get respect, dignity and self-confidence in society. “An educated person will always get numerous options throughout his/her life”, he added. Afridi said that being Muslims, our religion teaches us to “seek knowledge from cradle to grave.” There is no age limit for getting education. So, it is our duty to seek knowledge and promote education among others. The Advisor appreciated that management of OPF for establishing a school in Peshawar to cater to the educational needs of the students of this area. Earlier, the Advisor formally inaugurated OPF Public School, Peshawar.
Tuesday, 15 February, 2022 | LAHORE
10 FOREIGN NEWS
Far-right ideas, attacks against MusliMs spread alarMingly in France
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anaDolu agencY
Brussels-based human rights watchdog warned on Monday EU institutions and member states on the attacks against Muslims and the spread of far-right ideas in
France. The European Network Against Racism (ENAR) denounced in a statement “the escalation of attacks against Muslims and civil society organizations who work against racism and anti-Muslim hatred in France.”
“The country is showing marks of a growing far-right within its institutions,” the watchdog said. According to the organization, Europe should be concerned by the French government’s “increasingly divisive discourse and strategies” that are based on far-right ideology and target Muslims and civil society organizations. ENAR finds it alarming that
“under the guise of national security, civil society organizations have been dissolved, mosques have been raided, and schools and Muslim-owned businesses closed” contrary to the principles of the rule of law. The watchdog also noted that fundamental rights “of racialized people in France, and Muslims in particular” are severely endangered
in France. They asserted that the freedom of expression and association is particularly threatened, citing a recent report from the French Observatory of Associative Freedom that documented 20 abusive sanctions against NGOs without legal or factual bases over the past five years. ENAR stressed these actions have a “chilling effect” on Muslim
communities and civil society because they are “considered guilty until proven innocent.” The statement underlined that French mainstream media has also joined the trend of attacking NGOs and “demonizing Muslims.” The organization also warned that French politicians actively seek ties with openly far-right political organizations across Europe.
Four missing Afghan women activists released: UN aFP
gunmen attack high-profile sri lanka tV journalist coloMbo AFP
Armed men stormed the home of a high-profile Sri Lankan television journalist critical of the government Monday, police said, sparking condemnation by local media rights groups. Chamuditha Samarawickrama, who had criticised the powerful ruling Rajapaksa family and their allies in recent broadcasts, including on YouTube, was shaken but unhurt after the pre-dawn raid, police said. “They carried weapons to intimidate the guard and gained access to the housing compound,” a police official said adding that forensic experts had been called in to launch an investigation. “There were at least three armed men and they travelled in a white van,” Samarawickrama told AFP. “I heard shots fired. They smashed my windows and threw faeces at the house. It was captured on CCTV.” “I don’t know who is behind this attack, but I want to tell them that they can’t silence me.” Local media rights organisations denounced the attack on Samarawickrama who is both liked and loathed for his confrontationist interviews with public and business figures on his programme “Truth With Chamuditha.” “This attack underscores the dangerous environment in which journalists have been working in Sri Lanka in recent decades,” said local media rights group the Free Media Movement. “It is ironic that this (incident) comes less than a week after we commemorated journalists who were killed or otherwise victimised.” According to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), at least 14 journalists were murdered during the 2005-15 presidency of Mahinda Rajapaksa, the current prime minister and elder brother of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Two weeks ago, police began investigating Samarawickrama and his Hiru TV network for a polemic against law enforcement and allegedly making a false complaint of a threat to his life. He had broadcast last week an interview with a former police officer who had secured political asylum in Britain after claiming that he was being persecuted during a previous Rajapaksa administration. The latest assault comes weeks before the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) is due to take up Sri Lanka’s rights record over long-standing allegations of abuses. UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet had called for “renewed attention” to the intimidation of journalists, lawyers and activists in Sri Lanka after the Rajapaksa family returned to power in 2019.
Four women activists in Afghanistan have been released by the country’s “de facto authorities” after going missing weeks ago, the United Nations said Sunday. Since storming back to power in August, the Taliban have cracked down on dissent by forcefully dispersing women’s rallies, detaining critics and often beating local journalists covering unsanctioned protests. Tamana Zaryabi Paryani, Parwana Ibrahimkhel, Zahra Mohammadi and Mursal Ayar went missing after participating in an anti-Taliban rally, but Afghanistan’s new rulers — whose government is still not recognised by any country — had consistently denied detaining them. “After a long period of uncertainty about their whereabouts and safety, the four ‘disappeared’ Afghan women activists, as well as their relatives who also went missing, have all been released by the de facto authorities,” the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said on Twitter. AFP reported the release of Ibrahimkhel on Friday. She went missing along with Paryani on January 19, days after taking part in a rally in Kabul calling
for women’s right to work and education. Weeks later, Mohammadi and Ayar went missing. Some relatives of the four women protesters had also gone missing. Shortly before she disappeared, footage of Paryani was shared on social media showing her in distress, warning of Taliban fighters at her door. In the video, Paryani calls out: “Kindly help! Taliban have come to our home in Parwan 2. My sisters are at home.” It shows her telling the men behind the door: “If you want to talk, we’ll talk tomorrow. I cannot meet you in the night with these girls. I don’t want to (open the door)… Please! help, help!” DissiDents warneD: Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid had told AFP in an interview recently that the authorities had the right “to arrest and detain dissidents or those who break the law”, after the government banned unsanctioned protests soon after coming to power. The Taliban have promised a softer version of the harsh rule that characterised their first stint in power from 1996 to 2001. But provincial authorities have imposed several restrictions on women and have issued regular guidelines on how they should live.
The new authorities have effectively barred women from working in several government sectors and most girls’ secondary schools remain shut. The Taliban have also issued an order that women cannot travel between cities and towns unless accompanied by a close male relative. They have put up posters in many shops across Kabul and in other cities encouraging women to wear the allcovering burqa. Earlier this month the Taliban detained two foreign journalists working for the UN refugee agency, the UNHCR. Former BBC correspondent Andrew North and another foreign jour-
nalist were released on Friday after days in detention, the UNHCR said. Mujahid said they had been detained because they did not possess valid identity cards and documents. A “number” of British nationals are also being detained in Afghanistan, the UK government told AFP on Saturday, adding that it had raised the issue with officials there. The Taliban are however under pressure from the international community to respect human rights as the group engages in talks with Western countries and global donors to secure aid for tackling Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis.
Saudi-led coalition strikes target Yemen capital after drone attack riYaDH AFP
The Saudi-led coalition fighting Iranbacked rebels in Yemen destroyed a communications system on Monday used for drone attacks and located near the telecoms ministry in Sanaa, it said in a statement. Riyadh intervened in the Yemeni civil war in 2015 to support the government against the Houthi rebels, who control a large part of northern Yemen, including the capital Sanaa. “We have destroyed a communication system used to operate drone control stations,” the coalition was quoted as saying by the official Saudi news agency SPA. “The Houthis are using the Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Technology in Sanaa for hostile operations,” it added. An AFP correspondent in Sanaa confirmed coalition air strikes had targeted several areas of the capital around the ministry. It was not immediately possible to determine if there were any casualties. It was the first time the coalition has
targeted a civilian ministry, having so far only attacked the defence ministry. The coalition said the raids were in response to a drone attack Thursday on a
Saudi airport near the border which left 12 injured by falling debris after the Saudi military blew up the “bomb-laden” projectile.
The coalition had warned it would strike positions from which the Huthis launch drones in Sanaa and asked civilians to leave civilian areas used for military purposes. “The Houthis are using state ministries to launch hostile operations,” the coalition said. Yemen’s Huthis have frequently launched drone attacks at targets in the kingdom including airports and oil installations. The conflict has seen an escalation in recent months as the coalition has stepped up anti-Houthi offensives. For their part, the rebels have also increased attacks on Saudi Arabia and its fellow coalition member the United Arab Emirates. Yemen’s civil war broke out in 2014 when the Huthis seized Sanaa, prompting the Saudi-led coalition to intervene the following year to prop up the internationally recognised government. Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed directly or indirectly in the conflict, while millions have been displaced in what the UN calls the world’s biggest humanitarian crisis.
China urges parties to refrain from hyping up Ukraine crisis Mian abrar China has called on all parties to be rational and refrain from inflaming tensions and hyping up the Ukraine crisis. Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson Wang Wenbin on Monday told a regular press conference while reaffirming China’s stance on the Ukraine issue, stressing that all relevant
parties should push for a comprehensive settlement of the crisis through dialogue and negotiation. Highlighting the importance of the 2015 Minsk agreements, he said that the agreements endorsed by the UN Security Council is a universally recognized basic political document and should be implemented in earnest.
The new Minsk agreements are a series of measures to implement the 2014 Minsk agreements signed by representatives of Germany, France, Ukraine and Russia in 2015 in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, to achieve a military ceasefire, political reform and national reconciliation in eastern Ukraine. The Minsk agreements made in Septem-
ber 2014 and February 2015, respectively, outline the steps needed to end the conflict between government troops and armed groups in Donbas. He also confirmed that China’s embassy in Ukraine remains in normal operation and will provide consular protection and assistance with the Chinese Foreign Ministry to Chinese citizens still in the country.
Tuesday, 15 February, 2022 | LAHORE
SPORTS 11
Xu MengTAo MAkeS hISToRy wInnIng woMen’S AeRIALS goLd AT BeIJIng 2022
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U Mengtao won the firstever Olympic gold medal in women’s freestyle skiing aerials for China at Genting Snow Park in Zhangjiakou, north China, on Monday night, and could not stop screaming with joy after a confident display in sub-zero temperatures. The 31-year-old veteran, who won the individual silver in 2014 and followed it up with another silver in the mixed team event at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics last week, scored a whopping 108.61 points in the final to take the longawaited title of Olympic champion. Hanna Huskova of Belarus took silver with 107.95 points, while Megan Nick of the U.S. nabbed bronze with 93.76 points. Throughout the qualifying rounds in the afternoon and in the first round of the finals, Xu had battled it out with Ashley Caldwell of
Team USA. Along with Australia’s reigning world champion Laura Peel and Xu’s compatriot Kong Fanyu, they were the only athletes to score over 100 points with triples during the day. Poor landings by Peel and Kong in the final round however left the door wide open for Xu, who delivered a clean back-full-full-full. The 31-year-old pointed at the
sky upon landing and let out a scream, aware that this was good enough for gold. Xu Mengtao of China competes in the freestyle skiing women’s aerials finals at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games at Genting Snow Park A & M Stadium in Zhangjiakou, north China’s Hebei Province, February 14, 2022. There was one last jump to come
from former world champion Caldwell, who was leading after the first round, but it proved too little. Caldwell ran to Xu and the two women hugged and screamed, even as they awaited final results. In the end, Caldwell just missed the podium, finishing fourth, days after winning mixed team gold. The individual gold was a long time coming for Xu, a six-time world championship medalist and five-time World Cup crystal globe winner who is again leading the World Cup standings this year. “I’m just super excited. This is the first gold medal by China in women’s aerials and it’s just super cool,” she said afterwards. “I just wanted to do the best tricks I can do and I did it and that was all.” Xu Mengtao of China celebrates after winning the freestyle skiing women’s aerials gold medal at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games at Genting Snow Park A & M Stadium in Zhangjiakou, north China’s Hebei Province, Febru-
ary 14, 2022. Huskova failed to defend her Olympic gold medal from 2018 but said: “It’s amazing to get silver, it’s incredible.” “I’m very happy with all my jumps but in the super final I went for a more difficult jump, and I’m happy I could land it very well.” Nick admitted she felt queasy going into the final. “I thought I was going to throw up, but I was able to calm my nerves enough to land some jumps, thank goodness.” “I knew it was going to be challenging because the field is so good. Everyone’s jumping at such a high level that I knew I had to put down a good jump. I’m just relieved that I was able to do that,” she said, adding she was “very overwhelmed but I’m extremely happy.” Her U.S. teammate Caldwell meanwhile paid tribute to her competitors, and especially newly crowned Olympic champion Xu. L-R: Silver medalist Hanna Huskova of Belaru, Gold medalist Xu
Mengtao of China and Bronze medalist Megan Nick of the USA celebrate after competing in the freestyle skiing women’s aerials finals at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games at Genting Snow Park A & M Stadium in Zhangjiakou, north China’s Hebei Province, February 14, 2022. For Huskova, this is a second Olympic medal although she failed to defend her gold from 2018. “I am so proud of Taotao (Xu Mengtao) and I am so proud of Hanna Huskova and of Megan Nick. They are incredible athletes,” she said. “I have a lot of emotions right now. Mostly I feel like there is a lot of relief. The Olympics is incredibly stressful and we put a lot of heart in to what we do. I gave it my all, and it didn’t work. “Taotao has been pushing triples for longer than I have, and I respect her wholeheartedly. For her to win the gold medal in her own country is an incredible accomplishment and it brought tears to my eyes just as much as sadness did.”
Karachiites come in droves to join Marathon Race KARACHI staff RepoRt
Jason Roy fined by PCB for breaching PSL’s code of conduct NEwS DESK Quetta Gladiators’ Jason Roy has been fined 5% of his match fee for level-1 breach of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) Code of Conduct on Sunday, a statement issued by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said. This happened during his side’s eightwicket defeat against Lahore Qalandars in the 20th match of the tournament at the Gaddafi Stadium. Roy was found to have violated Article 2.21 of the PSL Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to “conduct that brings the game into disrepute,” following his reaction after he was adjudged caught behind by Asif Yaqoob off Shaheen Shah Afridi. Roy admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed to be imposed by Roshan Mahanama. Therefore, no formal hearing took place. The charges were levelled by the onfield umpires Asif Yaqoob and Michael Gough, third umpire Rashid Riaz and fourth umpire Waleed Yaqoob. All first-time offences of level-1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official warning and/or imposition of a fine of up to 25% of the applicable match fee.
Arrival of fast bowling coach Shaun Tait in Pakistan delayed NEwS DESK Shaun Tait, the newly-appointed fast bowling coach of the Pakistan men’s team, will join the Test squad late. According to sources, Tait’s arrival in Pakistan has been delayed as efforts are being made to complete the travel documents, including the former Australian pacer’s visa. He won’t be part of the training camp, starting from February 16 in Karachi. The 38-year-old will join the side directly in Islamabad ahead of the first Test in Rawalpindi, starting from March 4. It must be noted that Tait will be associated with the Men in Green for the upcoming 12 months. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced the appointments of coaches while naming squad for the Test series against Australia. Mohammad Yousuf will serve as batting coach for the Australia series while Saqlain Mushtaq has been named as head coach for one year.
Over a thousand young and old came to the roads here to partake in the third Commissioner’s Marathon Race on Sunday which was inaugurated by Karachi Commissioner Muhammad Iqbal Memon. Apart from athletes and regular runners, a large number of people including women and children joined the run in a festive mood. Director General Pakistan Rangers Sindh Major General Iftikhar Hassan Chaudhry also graced the occasion. More than 10,000 runners had registered for the marathon, though not all of them showed up, there were almost more than a thousand people. The marathon started from Moin Khan Academy, DHA Club, and ended at the same place. The marathon included Under-19, Under-29 and Over-29 categories. Runners also participated in the veteran’s category for those over 50 years of
age. Special kids and family art races were also held. The marathon distance was 10km while for women it was 6km. Later, the Karachi commissioner distributed prizes among the winners. Speaking on the occasion, the commissioner said that the marathon would help the government in its efforts to promote peace and sports. The manner in which the citizens have participated in the marathon is an indication of their commitment to the sport. He said that marathon has presented a positive face of Karachi. People have expressed love for peace and sports. He said that work needs to be done to promote sports activities in Karachi. The commissioner said that efforts were being made to increase sports activities and to provide facilities to the people in the sports of their interest. He thanked the administration, private institutions and sports organizations and the
Sindh Olympic Association. He said that such a big event would not have been possible without joint efforts. Osama Hassan won the first prize in the Under-19 male category while Mumtaz won the first prize in the under-19 female category. Sohail Amir won the first
prize in the Under29 male category while Iram Shehzad won the first prize in U-29 female category. Similarly, Israr Ahmed won the first prize in the over 29 male category while Khadija Kazim bagged the first prize in the category of over 29 female category.
Beijing 2020: France win ice dance gold medal BEIJING ReuteRs
Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron put their Pyeongchang heartbreak behind them as the French pair claimed figure skating ice dance gold with a world record at the Beijing Olympics on Monday. The figure skating events have been almost completely overshadowed by Russian Kamila Valieva’s positive doping test but the flamboyant French duo shone through the gloom, finishing with a record total of 226.98. A wardrobe malfunction had cost them the title four years ago in Pyeongchang, leaving them with the silver medal behind Canadian icons
Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir. But there were no mishaps in a virtually flawless free dance at the Capital Indoor Stadium that earned 136.15 points and brought rival athletes and coaches to their feet in a standing ovation. Skating to the dramatic piano and cello music of Gabriel Faure’s Elegie, the four-times world champions once again dazzled with their silky, seductive dance. World champions Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov of the Russian Olympic Committee took the silver with a season’s best score in their free skate for a total of 220.51. United States pair Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue took the bronze with a total of 218.02.
‘I will be ok’: Australia’s Smith on road to recovery after concussion SYDNEY ReuteRs
Australia batsman Steve Smith took to social media to reassure his fans he will be alright after suffering a concussion while attempting to save a six in Sunday’s T20 international against Sri Lanka in Sydney. Smith made an acrobatic dive in an attempt to prevent a six but fell over the boundary rope and slammed his head on the ground. Team-mates Pat Cummins and Glen Maxwell rushed to his aid while signalling to the medical staff to attend to Smith, who stayed down clutching his head. “Thanks, everyone for reaching out. My head has felt better but I will be ok,” Smith wrote on Twitter on Monday. Australia beat Sri Lanka in a Super Over to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series. The third T20I will be played in Canberra on Tuesday. Australia tour Pakistan for a three-Test series next month. The cricket board said Smith will miss the rest of the T20 series, but they expect him to make a full recovery in 6-7 days. Smith is no stranger to concussions after he was hit on the head in the 2019 Ashes, forcing the 32-yearold to miss a match. Smith’s concussion happened a day after Australian opening batter Will Pucovski was replaced in a domestic game due to concussion symptoms after receiving a knock on the head in the team’s warm-up.
Tuesday, 15 February, 2022
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Imran reposes ‘full confIdence’ In chaudhry brothers amId opposItIon meetIngs ISLAMABAD
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'10 NEW DAMS TO DOUBLE COUNTRY'S WATER STORAGE CAPACITY'
Staff RepoRt
HE prime minister expressed ‘full confidence’ in the leadership of Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), a member of the ruling coalition, on Monday, a day after the Chaudhrys of Gujrat met Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif amid the opposition’s efforts to table a no-confidence vote against Imran Khan in the National Assembly. Sharif met former prime minister Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, once confidants of the Sharif family, after a period of 14 years as part of their efforts to muster support for the vote to oust Khan. Those with knowledge of the meeting told Pakistan Today the meeting lasted for over an hour during which the National Assembly opposition leader sought PML-Q’s support. Sharif observed that the party, despite being an ally of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf
(PTI) governments in the Centre and in Punjab, expressed on various occasions concerns over its policies. The time had come “to make a decision,” he was quoted as telling the hosts. However, on Monday Khan, who was addressing the International Symposium on Pakistan’s Hydropower Development in Global Perspective, appeared unfazed by the meeting. Minister for Water Resources Moonis Elahi has assured the government “we should not worry about these meetings,” the prime minister said. Elahi, who is the son of Pervez, was also in attendance and also spoke before Khan did. “Those who are worried [about their political future] are holding meetings with Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and inquiring after his health,” he added. Khan said he had no doubt regarding the Q-League leaders and his party was “not concerned [about the meetings] at all”.
Workers of his party had become “battle-hardened” because of the difficulties they had gone through in the last 25 years, the prime minister asserted. He said the under-construction dams would double the water storage capacity and help address the issues related to climate change. He said China has constructed 5,000 dams but Pakistan only had two dams and they, too, were built in the ’60s. “Due to the official negligence, Pakistan suffered [water] losses. Since it uses imported fuel for electricity generation, whenever petrol prices go up in the international market, electricity rates also rise in Pakistan and the fiscal burden increases on the public,” he said. “If we had generated hydroelectricity, we would not have faced the present price hikes triggered by an increase in fuel prices,” he added. Pakistan enjoyed tremendous potential for hydroelectricity but it was producing half
IHC states ‘enforced disappearances seem to be the state’s policy’ NewS DeSk The IHC, during a hearing of the case pertaining to the recovery of journalist Mudassir Naaru and other missing persons, the IHC chief justice said the state cannot disappear anyone and it’s an established fact. The Islamabad High Court further stated on Monday that the presence of internment centres in the country gives an impression that forcibly disappearing people is a policy of the state. The IHC also sought the TORs for the commission concerning the recovery of Naaru and other missing persons. The court directed that the commission submit its report at the next hearing and the attorney general appear before the bench for final arguments in the case. The case has been adjourned till Febuary 28. During the hearing, Additional Attorney General Qasim Wudood said the state had no such policy and added that at least 800 peo-
ple were missing in Pakistan. CJ Athar Minallah added it was the duty of the state to protect its citizens but in hindsight, it seemed that the state itself was responsible for disappearing dissidents. However, Counsel Inam Rahim contested the claim and said at least 2,252 people are missing and the bodies of 221 missing persons have been handed over to their families. “It was the responsibility of the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances to investigate these disappearances,” the counsel said during the hearing. AAG Wudood said the cabinet will meet on Tuesday and added that the defence secretary has forwarded the case of Maira Sajid to the cabinet. “I told the secretary to forward this case to the cabinet,” he said, adding that a committee comprising the defence secretary and other government officials had been formed.
coronavIrus In
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NewS DeSk The prime accused in the Noor Mukadam murder case, Zahir Jaffer, on Monday refused to accept accusations against him by stating that the family of the deceased was trying to frame him to get money out of his “rich family”. Jaffer, in a written statement submitted to the court claimed that he did not murder Noor as he levelled a series of allegations against Noor and her father Shaukat Mukadam. He further stated that he and Noor were in a “consensual relationship” and its proof was recorded was given in the USB. It is pertinent to note that the accused has submitted a few medical reports, news clips, and a USB with his statement. He further added that he had remained under treatment in the US and Pakistan owing to his drugs use, adding that a medical report was attached with his statement to support the claim. “The petitioner, Shaukat Mukadam, wants to get money from us and for that reason, he along with police officials, built
a case against me and my family,” the statement claimed. Zahir Jaffer further said Mukadam along with his relatives reached the crime scene before the police team, but his relatives were still not made part of the probe. He also claimed that Noor’s mobile phone was switched by the police to allegedly “cover up the phone calls she made to her friends about a drug party”. “Had the police included the people who attended in the probe then there would
PM Khan dismayed at malicious propaganda targeting his family life ISLAMABAD
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Noor murder case: Zahir accuses Noor’s family of framing him and his ‘rich family’ for murder
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of its electricity needs from furnace oil, he said, adding unfortunately due to a lack of long term planning, the nation was facing the problems it was experiencing now. He noted that China was making rapid progress and its biggest strength was longterm planning. “They do not think in terms of elections after every five years. I am proud that our government is making longterm planning rather than thinking about elections.” “Today we are celebrating the decade of dams. We need water storage,” the prime minister said, observing problems arose among provinces because of water issues. Khan questioned: “As our population is increasing, we have to cultivate more land. If there is no storage how can we cultivate the land?” “We have fertile land in Dera Ismail Khan and we only need water. If we arrange water for land there, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will not need to import food or wheat from
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Prime Minister Imran Khan has expressed dismay over malicious social media campaign targeting him and First Lady Bushra Bibi and termed it “pathetic and intolerable”. The premier expressed these view while chairing a Central Executive Committee (CEC) meeting of the ruling PTI in Islamabad on Monday. Sources in the ruling PTI said that the prime minister was of the view that media freedom without regulations is devastating and such a smear campaign targeting personal lives should be discouraged. Referring to the recent report published in an English weekly which indirectly implied that Premier Imran Khan and his wife had developed differences and the first lady had been living with her friend in Lahore, Khan rubbished such false and fabricated reports. During the meeting, Minister of State for Information Farrukh Habib said that certain elements were involved in spreading “fake news” regarding premier’s personal life.
other provinces. Balochistan possessed millions of acres of uncultivated land and if we can arrange water, we can export cotton and other crops. The land is also available in Thar,” he said. The use of tunnel technology for dams was necessary for Pakistan. The mountains of Pakistan were incomparable in the world and could help generate huge revenue from tourism, he said. The mountainous area of Switzerland was half in size of the northern areas of Pakistan but it was generating revenue of $6070 billion from tourism alone. Switzerland had the latest tunnel technology which made their mountainous areas very accessible, he observed. The prime minister said the Kalabagh Dam was at a good site but the people of Sindh would have to be convinced about it otherwise anti-Pakistan forces would instigate them on the issue. “We have to scientifically explain to them that the dam will be beneficial for them. We are a federation and we should try to take provinces with us,” he added.
have been no case against me,” Zahir Jaffer further claimed. He also accused social media activists and women rights activists of running a campaign against him for their “vested interest” and “money”. “My case is still in court but they want me to get hanged,” he added. Zahir further said Noor’s call records submitted to the court did not include data after 10.46 am on July 20. This data was not included to save the people who attended the alleged party, he claimed.
sc orders ecp to hear all parties in Kp local body elections case NewS DeSk
Without naming anyone, Farrukh called them to refrain from resorting to “cheap tactics” by dragging an apolitical woman into politics. Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Shahbaz Gill said a legal action will be pursued against individuals propagating fake news. “We are already contesting a case against [senior journalist] Najam Sethi for sharing fabricated news about the prime minister and his wife,” Gill said on social media. “You can do politics and jour-
nalism, but propagating fake news about family members who are not in politics will be dealt with in a court of law.” Farah Khan, a close friend of First Lady Bushra Bibi, on Sunday refuted rumours regarding any differences between PM Imran and his wife. Taking to Twitter, she said that Bushra Bibi is living at Bani Gala, PM Imran’s residence in Islamabad, contrary to reports suggesting that she was staying at Farah Khan’s residence. “Fake propaganda was being
The SC on Monday gave directive to the Election Commission Pakistan (ECP) to hear views of all parties in the case, including the KP government. “The Election Commission should hear arguments of all parties and issue appropriate orders tomorrow,” said the apex court and added that the election body should listen to all arguments on Feb 15. The SC also wrapped up the case against the earlier decision of the Peshawar High Court (PHC). On February 9, the Supreme Court suspended the PHC’s decision, in which it postponed the second phase of the K-P local government election scheduled for March 27. A two-member division bench of the apex court, comprising of Justice Ayesha Malik and Justice Ijazul Ahsan, heard the case and issued notices to all involved parties. On February 4, the Abbottabad bench of the PHC had postponed the next phase of the LG elections, a decision that was welcomed by the Hazara Province Movement, which vowed to field candidates from every district and village council of the Hazara Division, including Battagram, Allai and Torghar. Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had also urged ECP to challenge the decision in Supreme Court after the PHC decision. He further called it a conspiracy on the part of the KP government to delay the elections.
Published by Arif Nizami at Qandeel Printing Press, 4 Queens Road, Lahore, for PT Print (Pvt) Limited. Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965. Email: newsroom@pakistantoday.com.pk